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| (Image Source: GosuGamers.net) |
After succeeding in various DOTA 2 Major events across different parts
of the globe including the Manila Majors back in May 2016, OG won the world's largest
and most prestigious pro gaming tournament in front of thousands of attendance inside
the Rogers Centre in Vancouver, Canada and millions watching around the world
on multiple platforms. Not only that, one of Europe's best pro gaming teams
also made history in The International 2018 as the first to break a long
tradition of Chinese teams winning the competition in a miraculous and stunning
effort.
Many pro gaming fanatics and enthusiasts have thought that PSG.LSD
would continue the tradition after winning in the first two games of the TI8
Finals, but it was OG's own 'never say die' spirit and dedication to the game
that persevered in the end and surprisingly won the hearts of DOTA 2 fans after
surviving a sweep and eventually winning the last two games that led the team to
its first Aegis of Champions trophy. What happened at the TI8 Finals became one
of the best in recent memory, and OG's perseverance would eventually be
considered by many as a Cinderella story that is worth the wait.
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| (Image Source: Gariath Concepts/ABS-CBN Sports) |
Of course, Filipino pro gaming fans were never left out as they have
also tuned in on their computers and mobile devices to witness a whole bevy of
DOTA 2 action throughout the course of the week-long tourney. In fact, even
more ordinary Filipinos were able to experience watching all the action that happened
in Vancouver through Sanduguan, the local broadcast coverage of The
International 2018, which was not only streamed online on Facebook and YouTube
but also aired live nationwide on ABS-CBN's S+A. I'm sure that many Filipino
households have woken up in the morning and were surprised to find out that they
are watching DOTA 2 in the comforts of their own home.
Aside from the multi-platform coverage, Sanduguan has added a uniquely
different flavor to the broadcast and that would be a dash of enjoyable and
unprecedented Tagalog commentary featuring analysts and casters from two renouned
names in the Philippine eSports scene Mineski TV and Tier One Entertainment's
Wombo X Combo. With an overwhelming positive reception from Filipino netizens
and pop culture buffs on social media, Sanduguan is literally dubbed a huge
success and may just be the beginning of more things to come when it comes to
eSports broadcasting in our local shores.
How about the two Philippine teams that have competed in TI8? Well,
Sanduguan has covered the journey of both TNC and Mineski in the prestigious
tourney especially when they have competed against each other in the lower
bracket with Mineski moving on to the next round where it lost to Evil Geniuses.
Although they cannot exceed their own expectations, we are proud to have TNC
and Mineski represent pro gaming communities in the Philippines in one major
pro gaming event. With that in mind, OG's finest hour and Sanduguan are
literally worth watching for and I would assume that this would further create
more and better opportunities that could boost the presence and traction of eSports
in the Philippines and that is something we need to watch out for in the near
future.
In the meantime, you can catch up on everything that happened at The
International 2018 which was covered by Sanduguan just by watching the games
all the way to the finals on the official YouTube channels of ABS-CBN Sports
and Sports5. Oh, and if you want to indulge on the latest news on eSports and
video games, just visit GGNetwork.tv or follow GG Network on Facebook and
Twitter.
