Tag: Tournament

Singapore – Esports championship series ONE Esports has been tapped by gaming company to be its official media partner for the upcoming League of Legends: Wild Rift Championships SEA tournament, to be held from 23 April to 8 May 2022.

As part of the partnership, ONE Esports will produce a Wild Rift esports video series titled WCS x ONE Presents: Rift Week! which comprises a five-part episode about WCS that will delight fans. This hosted series will feature tournament highlights, player interviews, fan interactions, and more. ONE Esports will also publish a series of articles covering the WCS. All editorial content will be available in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese, and published on the ONE Esports website, oneesports.gg.

James Lu, chief editor at ONE Esports, said, “There is no question that Southeast Asia is at the forefront of the mobile esports boom. According to our research, 87% of gamers in Southeast Asia regularly engage in mobile gaming. Wild Rift, which brings the League of Legends experience to mobile, is set to become one of the hottest esports titles in the region, and we are proud to be selected as official media partner for the WCS. We look forward to deepening our relationship with one of the most renowned game developers in the world, and we hope that fans enjoy what we have in store for them.”

The WCS spans across competitive leagues in Asia Pacific, namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The four winning teams of the pan-regional WCS Finals will represent Asia Pacific in the Wild Rift Icons Global Championship taking place in Europe this summer, where participating teams will compete for a US$200k prize pool.

Meanwhile, Jem Loh, head of communications and channels for APAC at Riot Games, commented, “The WCS tournament this year has been characterized by some truly outstanding performances by local talent from around the Southeast Asia region. As the very best 11 teams come together to compete at the WCS Finals, we are thrilled to work with ONE Esports to bring specially curated WCS content to our passionate Southeast Asian fans. We look forward to bringing more meaningful ways for our fans to engage with the tournament and hope they enjoy the WCS x ONE Presents: Rift Week.”

ONE Esports has been ramping partnerships recently, including being tapped by Electronic Arts for the upcoming EACC 2022, as well as partnerships with brands such as HSBC, Samsung, and Marriott Bonvoy.

London, United Kingdom – Competitive esports and video streaming platform VeraEsports has been tapped by game developer Riot Games to be its official esports partner for the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) APAC, Challengers 2022.

The VALORANT Champions Tour is a year-long event that takes the best teams from across the globe and pits them against each other during three levels: ‘Challengers’, ‘Masters’, and ‘Champions’. In 2021, the Champions Tour attracted over one million peak viewers and averaged some 500,000 viewers during the course of the tournament.

Through the partnership, VeraEsports will make exclusive content available for VeraEsports viewers, including match highlights, special features, and access to an exclusive library of content. Said content will be available in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

RJ Mark, founder at VeraEsports, says, “We are proud to renew and enhance our partnership with Riot Games and the VCT. Enabling new and breakthrough community experiences is our goal and this year we bring even more value through an exclusive VCT content hub on VeraEsports.” 

He added, “The community will now be able to watch and earn across both VOD-based content and live broadcasts. We’ve only just scratched the surface on what we can achieve together with Riot Games and we are excited to bring more value in the future.”

The ‘watch and earn’ program of VeraEsports encourages esports fans to earn points and redeem them for exclusive rewards while they watch their favourite Esports tournaments. VeraEsports will be beta-testing its patented proof of view (POV) technology, developed by its parent brand Verasity, to combat fraudulent advertising viewership during the Valorant Champions Tour APAC.

Meanwhile, Chris Tran, head of esports for SEA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau at Riot Games, commented, “This partnership reflects the great strength and growth potential of the VCT in the region. Despite VALORANT Esports being launched only about a year ago, we’ve had an amazing level of engagement and passion from our community. We look forward to working with VeraEsports on making VCT APAC even better this year by bringing the very best VCT content to our players and fans across the region.”

VeraEsports is built upon the infrastructure of protocol and product layer blockchain platform Verasity, which focuses on esports and digital content.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – With an objective to showcase the rich diversity of entrepreneurial strategies of participating local businesses and talents, the recent conclusion of the debut of ‘I Got Talent’ Asia’s, the first BizSports Tournament by online show BizSports, saw a participation of 400 people, and learned new era talent strategies with remarkable entrepreneurs, enhancing their understanding of how essential it is to search for game-changing talents in order to be leaders of the industry.

Said tournament was made possible by partnerships with Malaysia-based agency DreamsKingdoms, collaborative software Vimigo, and financial education platform Finspark.

BizSports Asia aims that through this tournament, it provides a platform for top talents to unleash their potential in the real business world and solve real business problems. It’s also a place where entrepreneurs can discover talents with future-ready skills who can help them achieve new breakthroughs.

“A new era has begun and that calls for a new revolution, especially for the business industry. Game-changing talents have become the masterminds behind every successful business. However, it has been challenging for businesses to find the right talents. Could there be a shortage of talents? We believe not. Many talents could very well be a diamond in the rough, who just needs a little polishing to shine bright,” BizSports Asia said in a press statement.

Several top entrepreneurs were also invited to share their insights namely Shane Mun, founder and CEO of Vimigo & Big Bath; Spark Liang, founder of Finspark; Yens Chong, founder of DreamsKingdoms; Cody Hong, Malaysia’s top We-media creator; and Jeff Chin, founder and CEO of SocialMex.

The tournament includes various activities and programs done in the form of a survival reality show, where top talents are selected through observation by the panel of invited entrepreneurs. About 250 out of 1,000 participants from the pre-selection stage would then have the opportunity to submit their resumes. 

Then, 50 selected participants will be divided into 10 teams, each led by a corporate mentor. Talents and mentors will work together to advance through the stages of ‘I Got Talent’, in hopes of becoming Asia’s 1st BizSports Tournament’s top 3 teams. 

The champion team and MVPs that will come out of the tournament will be walking away with cash and prizes worth up to RM100,000. It will be recorded and edited into a 40-60 minutes show and shared across social media platforms.

Manila, Philippines – While the esports scene industry in the Philippines has been thriving, thanks to a combination of local area network (LAN) gaming centers or more known as ‘computer shops’ and mobile gaming accessibility, the industry has seen its fair share of struggles maintaining mainstream focus, a new report from strategic advisory firm YCP Solidiance shows.

According to the report, the local industry has yet to prove that esports titles hold a lifespan long enough to support professional players’ careers, unlike traditional sports that have a long-proven history of consistent returns and established fan support. In contrast, international leagues such as The Overwatch League and League of Legends: League Championship Series have successfully proven their success in other countries, paving ways for a profitable future for the Philippine esports market.

On the other hand, while these esports tournaments have yet to see themselves ‘ripen’ in the local scene, the esports industry in the Philippines currently has over 43 million active gamers, a number growing steadily by 12.9% yearly since 2017. The country’s most played game, Mobile Legends, reached a whopping peak of 2.65 million active users daily (from data by the Google Play store in April 2019), and has shown consistent growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%.

The report also suggests that in order for the esports industry to thrive in the country, they need to combine three elements: content, packaging, and accessibility. In the case of establishing an esports league tournament in the country, for instance, the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) in the Philippines, they have one of the highest levels of Mobile Legends competitive play that is accessible today in the country.

“Even better is that it shows a marked improvement, exponentially growing the viewership number from the previous seasons, and a growing loyalty amongst its viewers as seen with the returning support after multiple editions of the tournament. Though more outside investments and direct sponsorship support is not yet prevalent, it stands to reason that future editions of the tournament will very likely catch the eye of many non-endemic sponsors,” the report stated.

They added that at the end of the day, it is a ‘delicate balancing act’ that requires concrete efforts on all ends to make sure all bases are covered. Such efforts require considerable investments, but when these are done right, successes such as the one Mobile Legends has shown is a definite possibility. 

“Especially now that Mobile Legends’ success along the way is converting many nonparticipants of esports into potential audiences of tomorrow, the esports industry in the Philippines has never looked more approachable and primed to succeed in the coming years,” the report concluded.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Following its partnership with short video platform TikTok to bring esports to a larger audience, esports entertainment platform FIGHT Esports has announced the launch of its regional FIGHT Campus League to establish a strong gaming community among colleges and universities. 

The tournament meets the demand of the current esports community as the pandemic hit students were forced indoors, resulting in the increase of gaming hours and time spent consuming content online.

Cheah Sheau Mei, user and content operations manager for TikTok Malaysia commented that their partnership with FIGHT Esports works well, considering the fact that their platform features a short-form format and unique content that is suitable for gamers to showcase their unique stories, connect with other gamers, and celebrate modern gaming culture.

“As the gaming community continues to grow on TikTok, we look forward to collaborating closely with like-minded organizations like FIGHT Esports to fuel the passions and originality of more gamers on our platform.” Mei stated.

Meanwhile, Ariff Abu, team lead at FIGHT Esports Malaysia, commented, “We’ve been looking into regional, multi-title tournaments for some time after organizing community level tournaments in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines for the past year and getting feedback from students asking for a dedicated tournament of their own.”

He added, “The FIGHT Campus League will pave a way for students to compete in selected top titles and demonstrate many different skill levels across several demographics.”

The regional tournaments will kick off in Malaysia with a PUBG Mobile tournament, and qualifiers will take place from 5 May to 11 June, ultimately leading to the grand finals on June 15 and 16. The streams will be also streamed on FIGHT Esports’ Facebook page and on Astro’s eGG Network, a Malaysia-based pay television network.

Included in the new slew of regional tournaments of FIGHT Esports is its Philippines’ equivalent, FIGHT Campus League Philippines’ Call of Duty: Mobile tournament. It will begin on 7 May to June 18 with a prize pool of PHP190M (RM16,172) as well as with its Indonesian counterpart FIGHT Campus Legend Indonesia which will be looking for the top Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams from June to October with a prize pool of IDR50M (RM14,158).

Jakarta, Indonesia – To further strengthen the esports ecosystem in Indonesia, telecommunication company Telkomsel has launched the third edition of its national-level event Dunia Games League (DGL) this year. 

Following the previously successful editions of DGL, which attracted tens of thousands of gamers that participated, and captured millions of esports enthusiasts that streamed the event, this year’s event aims to reach more players and fans throughout the country.

The DGL 2021 will be bringing together PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile game enthusiasts from all over Indonesia, and will target thousands of professional and amateur teams to participate. 

Online registration will be from 16 April to 31 May. All participants will compete in the Qualifier and Play-Ins round between 5 June to 11 July, and thereafter, the best players will compete in the Grand Finals on 17 to 18 July for a total prize of more than US$40K. 

“Telkomsel, through Dunia Games, strives to create more opportunities for Indonesian online game enthusiasts to sharpen their skills and competitiveness. The return of DGL is one of the manifestations of our passion to enable gamers to share their interests, connect, and collaborate for a more holistic esports ecosystem in Indonesia,” said Rachel Goh, the marketing director of Telkomsel.

Meanwhile, Oliver Ye, the director of PUBG Mobile SEA, commented “We are proud to have PUBG Mobile in DGL these 2 years in a row with Telkomsel as the biggest telco operator in Indonesia. We were also happy to announce that the top 2 of DGL 2021 will be invited to our PUBG Mobile Indonesia National Championship 2021 Grand Final.” 

The whole event will be broadcasted live through the Dunia Games YouTube channel, MAXstream apps, and Dunia Games League website.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Global esports organizer Forest Interactive Gaming Habitat Team (FIGHT) and video-sharing app TikTok have partnered to launch TikTok Gaming Ground PH (TikTok GGPH), an esports dedicated account, within the platform. This marks the start of a year-long partnership between TikTok Southeast Asia and FIGHT Esports, which is kicking off with TikTok Philippines.

Through TikTok Gaming Ground PH, the community of Filipino gamers on TikTok can expect a line of live gaming events and tournaments hosted by the official TikTok GGPH account, as well as even more gaming content, shared and compiled by the TikTok PH Gaming Community.

Gaming Operations Manager of TikTok PH, John Castro, commented that the app continues to pursue opportunities to inspire creativity and bring joy to all Filipinos.

“With gaming actively becoming a positive source for community building and enjoyment, we are happy to be doing our part in providing the growing gaming community with a platform for education, positive connections, and interaction,” said Castro.

To inaugurate their partnership, TikTok Philippines and FIGHT Esports are jointly hosting the first-ever #TikTokGGPH Creator Cup Tournament, which will be set within Valorant, a popular first-person shooter game developed by Riot Games. The Creator Cup Tournament will take place on 27- 28 February from 3 pm to 9 pm PST, to be live-streamed on TikTok via @tiktokggphofficial. To raise the stakes, TikTok Philippines is offering a $1,000 prize pool to be awarded to the champion, 1st runner up, and 2nd runner up of the tournament.

FIGHT is the esports arm of mobile platform Forest Interactives, which focuses on tournaments, showcases, and seminars that will help the gaming community. It has already hosted over 80 tournaments in seven countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan.

FIGHT’s Project Manager Chantal-Denise Ortega said that TikTok is fast becoming a place where people create, share, and enjoy a new type of experience. It really makes a lot of sense for them to leverage the digital entertainment platform to reach the gaming community and give them the opportunity to connect and share their passion with fellow gamers around the world.

“This will create a unique and innovative esports experience where they can follow and engage with their favorite gaming content creators, tune in to esports tournament live streams, as well as celebrate esports in ways that have never been done before,” Ortega added.

The TikTok app is also holding a video campaign for the official #TikTokGGPH launch, starting from 12 to 28 of February. Users may upload videos that capture their gaming style and must use the hashtag #TikTokGGPH. At the end of the campaign period, 20 creators will be selected to become part of TikTok’s community of gamers, based on the level of passion for gaming and creative potential seen in their videos.