STI, one of the country’s largest networks of schools, has linked up with five top firms to develop world-class talents in e-gaming industry with the launch of eSports, a fast-rising form of competition using video games.
As one of the founding members of the Philippine National eSports League Association, STI aims to nurture young talents in the field of eSports through the creation of a healthy environment for promising gaming athletes.
“As eSports continues to grow and mature all over the world, we want to do our part as an academic institution to promote responsible gaming for the youth, especially the aspiring pro gamers,” said STI Education Services Group, Inc. executive committee chairman Eusebio Tanco.
The other firms that have initially signed up with STI to own team franchises in the tournament are PLDT/Smart Communications, Inc., TheNet.Com, HappyFeet eSports, BrenPro, and Cignal TV, Inc.
The Nationals, the first ever e-sports franchise model professional league in the country, will open shop next year.
Joining Tanco in the recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at the Cignal Headquarters in Mandaluyong, were top officials of the nation’s leading telecommunications, television and eSports companies.
The league starts with The Road to The Nationals, a series of open qualifier tournament games. It features three game titles: DOTA2 for PC, Mobile Legends for mobile, and NBA2K19 or Tekken 7 for console game. Eight teams from each game will be eligible for drafting and sponsorship by the pioneer teams.
“We are using the Road to The Nationals as the pool of talent to build the teams in The Nationals,” said Chot Reyes, president and CEO of TV5. “This is eSports like never before. Aspiring eSports athletes now have a chance to get into a sustainable playing career. This is their time to seize the opportunity.”
STI will tap its rich pool of talents through tournaments within its network of 76 campuses. At the grassroots level, STI will search for players who can showcase and test their skills, teamwork, and training in these games for the The Road to The Nationals open qualifiers.
The Road to The Nationals will take place in ten locations across the country with the finals in one of the largest gaming events in Southeast Asia, the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit (ESGS).
“The three separate tournaments are ESNAP tournaments. This is officially the biggest push to elevate Philippine eSports,” said Joebert Yu, the President of the newly established National Sports Association (NSA) for eSports, the Esports National Association of the Philippines (ESNAP).
Apart from the multi-million-peso worth of prize pool at stake for the games, winning teams are also qualified to compete in future international eSports events and programs at the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.
The Road to the Nationals will be broadcasted on ESPN5, the sports division of TV5 in partnership with the US network ESPN.