E-Sports: Galaxy Battles II organizers determined to see tourney through

HIT by an unexpected turn of events leading to its staging next week, organizers of Galaxy Battles II said they are working double time and exerting every effort to have the anticipated esports event push through.

Lost its “Major” designation after Valve Corp., the parent company and developer of DotA 2 (Defense of the Ancients), decided to rescind such last Friday over what it considers as “unreasonable infringements on the privacy of the players,” including mandatory drug testing, the decision has left organizers of the DotA 2 event, happening on Jan. 19 to 21 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, in a tough bind.

Along with the withdrawal of Valve also went the Pro Circuit points that would have been available, leaving the participation of some of the expected competing teams in doubt.

Over the weekend, however, Fallout Gaming, organizer of the Galaxy Battles II, sought to allay the fears of e-sports fans in the country by saying in a statement that they are working hard to address the issues and that it is determined to push through with the event, which is a follow- up to the highly successful Galaxy Battles that happened in Shenzhen, China, last June.

In the statement, Fallout Gaming said that it was taken by surprise by the decision of Valve to remove the Major status of the upcoming Galaxy Battles, which is designed to take the already-competitive and growing e-sports scene to another plane not only in the country but also in the Southeast Asian region.

Nonetheless it also reiterated that it is maintaining its commitment with the country’s Games and Amusements Board ( GAB) to comply with its rules and regulations, including mandatory drug testing, and that it is encouraging teams and their individual members to abide by the laws of every country they are competing in.

It went on to say that the requirements set by the Philippine government should help shape the future of e- sports and that it feels it is a step in the right direction.

Fallout Gaming reiterated that it is now working closely with all parties concerned, including GAB and Valve, to resolve the issues and hold Galaxy Battles, which is set to offer a prize pool of $1 million and feature 16 teams from all over the world, on schedule.

As of publication time, no latest updates have been provided by the organizers on the issues and the event but they promise to do so as they come. —