| (Image Source: Yahoo! News Singapore) |
Singapore-based professional gaming tournament organizer Cyberathlete Pte. Ltd. has officially kicked off the Cyberathlete Collegiate Mobile Legends Series with an overwhelming grand cash prize of US$250,000 at stake through qualifiers in Southeast Asian countries which will run until August 2021. The top teams in each country will then duke it out to become one of the eight teams that will enter seasonal play. Four top ranked collegiate teams in Southeast Asia will emerge after three seasons in November 2022 and will eventually vie for the grand cash prize in the World Collegiate Finals on December of the said year.
“We are really excited to kick the series off in Southeast Asia, where Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has met with massive success,” said Cyberathlete CEO Scott Valencia. “But more importantly, we are proud to be putting students on a path that will allow them to be highly competitive in collegiate esports while remaining engaged with their academic commitments.” “Beyond the success of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M2 World Championship, which has reached over 100 million views for the professional esports industry, Moonton also places strong emphasis on the collegiate market as well,” said Michael Lin, esports marketing manager of Mobile Legends developer Moonton Games. “Through our 'Esports for Everyone' program, we are excited to be part of Cyberathlete’s groundbreaking initiative for the collegiate market.”
“Our board of directors firmly believes that esports is a great equalizer between technology and entertainment. While professional esports has been receiving most of the focus, we believe the collegiate market is ready for the same level of confidence and exposure the professionals enjoy,” says Frank Yong, board president of Cyberathlete. “Our pledge of support to the players and the industry is having already deposited US$250,000 from our war chest in Oversea-Chinese Bank Corporation secured in a financial instrument ahead of announcing sponsorships. Cyberathlete is looking forward to rewarding the winning team for their achievement.”
Current qualifying country partners are the Singapore Cybersports and Online Gaming Association with support from the Singapore eSports Association, Malaysia's eStars Nation, National eSports Federation of the Philippines and Indonesia's Ligagame eSports with more slated to join in soon.
