MANILA, Philippines – Globe Telecom is leveling up League of Legends and Arena of Valor with a crossover to push electronic sports (eSports) gaming forward in the Philippines.
In an event at the Globe Tower on Thursday, April 19, the telco showed off its Globe Gaming initiative with its partners Riot Games, Garena, and Mineski.
The partnership, the companies said, will offer gamers better access to local, regional, and global eSports competitions, as well as original content and exclusive programming.
This includes changes to both League of Legends and Arena of Valor's current ways of doing tournaments, in some aspects.
Riot Games, for its part, is setting up a multi-country tournament structure that will allow winning teams of the regional SEA Tour direct access to the League of LegendsWorld Championships. This includes the Philippines, with an upcoming Globe Conquerors Manila tournament – a sanctioned competitive League of Legends event.
Meanwhile, Globe and Garena's Arena of Valor partnership will see the title getting marketing, competitions, and content. They will also introduce a series of Valor Cup tournaments which will give teams the opportunity to vie for entry into the Arena of Valor World Championships in Los Angeles for a slice of a $500,000 prize pot.
The team-up with Mineski Events Team, meanwhile, includes the return of the Manila Masters tournament in 2019.
Aside from events, promotional items will also become part of certain offerings in Globe's prepaid system, such as GoSurf purchasers acquiring a free Superman hero in Arena of Valor.
Bringing Philippine eSports to world stage
Ernest Cu, Globe president and chief executive officer, said they aim to "bring Philippine eSports to the global stage."
Through fully optimized internet connectivity as well as world-class events and tournaments, Globe wants to "accelerate the gaming industry in the country by bringing gaming and eSports into homes, mobile devices, malls, and competition venues," Cu later added in a statement.
Johnson Yeh, managing director for Riot Games in Greater China and Southeast Asia, also said the two companies share a similar mindset.
"Globe shares our vision in building for the long-term growth of eSports across the region," Yeh added.
He also said the allure of multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) such as League of Legends is in their accessibility for those who aren't as athletic, but are just as driven to propel themselves forward in their passion projects.
"You don't need to be physically very strong. You can still succeed," Yeh added.
According to Globe, these partnerships are the first in a campaign to develop Philippine gaming culture as a whole. – Rappler.com