Singapore based telecom company Singtel has launched a new esports competition – PVP eSports Championship in a bid to expand the group’s efforts to grow its gaming and digital content business across the Asia Pacific and leverage from the ever-increasing interest in esports in the Asian region
The new multi-title, regional esports league with a prize pool of $300,000, will be held in Singapore from 5 to 7 October and is supported by Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Singtel has partnered with Australian telco Optus and regional associates Airtel, AIS, Globe (Philippines) and Telkomsel (Indonesia) on the initiative. Singtel will organise activities and provide content relating to the competition, with esports specialists such as Razer, Blizzard, Garena and the Mineski Group having signed up to support the initiative.
Organised by eSports event organiser MET, the inaugural tournament will feature leading mobile game Arena of Valor and PC game Dota 2. Blizzard’s popular game Hearthstone will also be part of the PVP eSports Championship.
Through the league, the Group will organise eSports activities and provide content, building on the initiatives by Globe in the Philippines, Telkomsel in Indonesia and Singtel in Singapore which are actively promoting eSports in their countries. The Group will leverage its combined mobile customer base of over 600 million across the region, together with its telco assets and partnerships, to gain a slice of the growing eSports industry, states the official release from Singtel.
Arthur Lang, CEO of Singtel’s International Group, said, “Telcos have every right, and the assets, to play in the growing gaming ecosystem and we want to engage the largely millennial consumers across our regional footprint. Mobile-based games, in particular, have gained a strong following in this region where the mobile phone is the main gaming device of choice.”
“With the Group’s robust broadband and mobile networks as well as reach across Southeast Asia, India and Australia with over 600 million subscribers, we are excited to build a vibrant eSports ecosystem that will provide gamers and fans access to original and exciting content. We look forward to take gaming to the next level with our partners.”
Min-Liang Tan, Razer Co-Founder and CEO, “The numbers don’t lie – eSports is a rising force in entertainment eclipsing even movies and music. Razer has been a pioneer in pro-gaming for all of our existence, and as promised, we are now driving the future of eSports across the region with forward-looking partners like Singtel.”
Singtel’s collaboration with Razer in the regional league follows a memorandum of understanding signed in May to foster strategic collaboration in the high-growth areas of e-payments, eSports, gaming-related digital media and telecommunication services across Southeast Asia, India and Australia.
Teams will compete at local qualifiers organised by the Singtel Group in Australia, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Winning teams from each country will then move on to battle invited professional teams from North America, Europe and China at the PVP eSports Championship to be held in Singapore in October. Singtel will also start a search for a home-grown Singapore team it can sponsor through this tournament, which it hopes to establish as part of the global circuit of annual eSports competitions.
Fans who are not able to attend in person can watch the action unfold through the Singtel Group’s content platforms and content partners. SPH is the official media partner of PVP eSports Championship.
Esports, for the first time, will be contested as a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games slated from August 18 to September 2 in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. The following titles will be showcased: League of Legends, Hearthstone, Starcraft II, Arena of Valor, Clash Royale and Pro Evolution Soccer. It is also being considered as a potential medal event in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
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