DOTA major event in 2018 to shore up e-sports scene
THE already-competitive and growing e-sports scene in Southeast Asia is expected to be taken to another plane when the region hosts the second season of Galaxy Battles in January 2018.
Following a successful first season held in Shenzhen, China, organizers of the widely followed Defense of the Ancients ( DOTA) event have decided to bring the tournament to Southeast Asia, in particular, the Philippines.
They said the event, happening at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, is in line with their vision of reinventing the DOTA e-sports scene by way of its delivery of the tournament, which they are angling to be more “experiential” for gamers and fans alike.
“There are hidden gems for e-sports in the region that have not been found yet. In every country actually, whether it is Vietnam, Cambodia, all the way down to Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, there is a lot of hidden talent,” said Adrian Gaffor, managing director of Malaysia- based organizer Fallout Gaming, when asked by BusinessWorld at the sidelines of the press conference for Galaxy Battles last Friday why they have decided to return to Southeast Asia.
“It’s just a vast market where they are very passionate and just won’t quit and that is the kind of spirit we are looking for to grow the tournament, to grow the scene. The people are the ones who grow the community and with this we want to give them a platform,” added Mr. Gaffor, whose group is organizing the major e- sports event with Purpose Win Entertainment Ltd.
He went on to say that the Philippines was a very logical choice for them to stage the second season of Galaxy Battles.
“The e- sports scene here in the Philippines is just intense. The people here are very passionate about e- games and esports, particularly DOTA 2. I don’t foresee that declining anytime soon and everyone here really gets behind the teams that play,” Mr. Gaffor said.
“Why are we here? Well, we wanted to go to a market where DOTA 2 is very well accepted and blow that out of the water and give them something to be proud about, something we will be proud about, and grow it from this particular point,” he added.
Mr. Gaffor went on to say that the Philippine government has been supported of what they want to accomplish and helping them every step of the way.
“The Philippine government has been very supportive of what we want to stage here. We had meetings with the Games and Amusements Board ( GAB) and it has been helping us all throughout the process and we are looking forward to working with them some more in the future. I love that they are putting up regulations and it shows that it’s another step towards legitimatizing e- sports in the Philippines,” Mr. Gaffor said.
During the press conference, Attorney Gennelyn Abao represented GAB and spoke about what their agency is doing about e-sports in the country, including regulations pertaining to player status and conduct.
ROAD TO GALAXY BATTLES
For Galaxy Battles Majors: DOTA 2 Tournament, which will happen from Jan. 19 to 21, a total prize pool of $1 million is at stake.
It will commence in mid-November with the regional invitational qualifiers and the open qualifiers played throughout six regions, namely, China, Southeast Asia, Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), North America and South America.
The qualifying period will run for an approximate duration of four weeks and will determine the top eight qualifying slots for the Galaxy Battles qualifiers.
The slot allocations per region are divided as such: one slot for the Open Qualifiers, one slot for China, one slot for Southeast Asia, one slot for Europe, one slot for CIS, one slot for North America and one slot for South America.
The Galaxy Battles Major will also see two slots being allocated for the first time to the New Blood Championships, Southeast Asia’s first amateur tournament — an initiative started by the organizers to help shed light on aspiring e- sports athletes and talents in the region.
Following these 10 slots allocated to the qualifying phases, Galaxy Battles will be directly inviting eight teams across six regions to the main event, including the likes of Newbee, Infamous Gaming, OG and TNC Pro Team, accommodating a total of 18 teams.
During the staging of the Galaxy Battles, the area housing the Philippine Arena will be separated into three main sections.
The main arena will serve as the “battleground” of the event while an area is also being allocated for theme park-like activities, food and beverage zones, resting pods and rest areas, and a sponsorship area where partners are able to feature their products, services and engagements.
The Philippine Stadium beside the arena will host the Galaxy Battles music festival that will feature international artists, regional artists and local artists throughout the duration of the event.
Organizers of the event said further details on the event, including the tickets, will be known in the coming weeks.