ESL, which is considered to be the world's largest esports company, is heading to the Philippines to bring ESL One Manila. Together with PLDT Fibr & Smart GameX, this South East Asian tournament will take place from April 23-24 2016 in the Mall of Asia Arena.
lrich Schulze, VP of Pro Gaming at ESL, said of the announcement:
"ESL has been eager to bring ESL One to South East Asia, and with the Philippines’ rich Dota 2 history, we couldn’t think of a better place,” said Ulrich Schulze, VP Pro Gaming at ESL. “ESL One Manila by PLDT Fibr & Smart GameX will make history as the region’s largest esports competition to date, and we’re confident we can deliver a world-class experience to local and international fans both at the venue and online."
ESL One Manila by PLDT Fibr & Smart GameX marks a prize money milestone of US$750,000 in relation to ESL’s promise to pledge one million dollars in Dota 2 prize money over a twelve month period. The ESL One tournament series has taken Dota 2 to iconic locations such as the 2006 football World Cup stadium in Frankfurt, Commerzbank-Arena, and the famed Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, both of which have been pioneering in their own right. ESL One Manila by PLDT Fibr & Smart GameX in the Mall of Asia Arena is set to be South East Asia’s largest esports event to date and will be ESL One’s first appearance on the Asian continent.
Tickets to ESL One Manila will go on sale starting December 8, 2015 at 6PM (GMT+8) at SMTICKETS and SMTICKETS outlets nationwide and will have a series of ticket choices:
Weekend General Admission (P500)
2-day access (Saturday April 23rd AND Sunday April 24th)
Seating in the upper ring of the arena
Weekend Ticket Upper Rank (P1000)
2-day access (Saturday April 23rd AND Sunday April 24th)
Seating in the middle box of the arena
Weekend Ticket Lower Rank (P1500)
2-day access (Saturday April 23rd AND Sunday April 24th)
Seating in the lower box of the arena
Premium tickets (P5000)
Entry for Saturday April 23rd AND Sunday April 24th
Free food and drinks
Goodie Bag
Exclusive signing sessions
Premium seating in front of the stage
The competition will feature the top Dota 2 teams in the world, with a place reserved and dedicated for a local Filipino team.
ESL has provided a good amount of online and offline competitions. They brought big events such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL Pro Leagues, and StarCraft® II World Championship Series.
This is great news as we wrap up 2015, making 2016 a great year for eSports in the country. With the Philippines' growing Dota 2 community, it was only a matter of time that big organizations such as ESL would take notice and provide a huge competition inthe region such as ESL One Manila.
One of the biggest and most anticipated E-Sports and Gaming Convention in the Philippines is happening this October and it's only weeks away! ESGS, on its second year, will not only give us a variety of E-Sports competitions, it will also be filled with local and international studios, as well as Independent game designers showcasing their games to the public.
We were there on the first ever ESGS and was quite surprised with the turn out and exhibits. With over 6000 reported foot traffic from 2014, and from the plans we are hearing for this year's ESGS 2015, this being an event for gamers, e-sports enthusiasts, and developers to look forward to each year won't come out as a surprise to use. An event like this is long overdue here in the Philippines.
This year, along side the other e-sports games to be feature at the event, ESGS will be introducing a new brand called Brawlfest, which will comprise of different fighting game titles for avid players to compete in. Specific title included in Brawlfest will be officially announced on a later date, but this announcement is showing a bigger variety in the e-sports department for ESGS.
For independent developers, the Indie Arena, was also announced to be part of ESGS 2015. Chosen developers, coming from local and possibly international contries, will get the chance to showcase their games to the public.
E-Sports and Gaming Summit (ESGS) 2015 is happening this October 24-25 at the SMX Convention Center, Function Room 1 to 4, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. ESGS 2015 is organized by Gariath Concepts (Pinoy Gaming Festival) and co-presented by PLDT Home and GameX.
Tickets are now available on all SM Ticket outlets located in SM Cinemas nationwide, and is priced at P185/day. Will we see you at ESGS 2015?
Manila Cup just happened at the Imperium eSports Bar where many fighting games were played. Not only could you earn points to qualify for the Capcom Pro Tour at Ultra Street Fighter IV but there were many other games you could compete in for cash prizes and the respect of your FGC peers. A ton of players from various countries such as Japan, China and Hong Kong also came over to compete and their matches did not disappoint.
We were able to attend the event to watch the top 4s and top 8s live. I myself took part in the Super Smash Bros. for WiiU tournament and was present for all 3 days. There were so many great matches that put me on the edge of my seat through out the weekend. It was crazy fun and I got to meet a lot of great people both new and old.
You can check out more photos of the event on our Facebook page and here are some of the stream archives of the tournament on Xsplit's twitch channel.
Microsoft's E3 2015 press conference has now concluded and you can pick up all the lovely reveals right here.
Halo 5: Guardians
To kick things off, Microsoft went with something everybody is familiar with. 343 Industries takes the floor to show Halo 5: Guardians. We see some coop gameplay with some known faces like Arbiter and Keith David. After the campaign demo, we are given a glimpse of a multiplayer map called Warzone. There will be 24 players and AI controlled units, and they are considering this the biggest map ever created.
Recore announced
Recore was announced and is by Keiji Inafune's Comcept studio and Armature, the developer founded by key folk behind Metroid Prime.This sci-fi action adventure is an Xbox exclusive and has a Spring 2016 release window.
Xbox One backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games
This has to be one of the biggest bombs from Microsoft - Xbox One has backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games. Some digital titles should be up now and your retail discs can also be used. Popping in the disc will make your Xbox One system confirm you own the copy of that game, making you download the digital version for use. The first Mass Effect was shown using this feature, and Phil Spencer states that more titles will be available for use later this year.
Xbox One Elite Controller revealed for Xbox One and Windows 10
The Xbox One Elite Controller was revealed for Xbox One and Windows 10. Features for this new controller aim for the hardcore players that seek accurate control while gaming. The most interesting feature is the ability to swap components (thumbsticks, D-pads, and paddles) to fit the type of game you are playing. There are customization options such as trigger sensitivity, button mapping, and more. The backside of the controller also has four paddles, which we're trying to wrap our head around this addition.
Fallout 4 for Xbox One will come with a copy of Fallout 3
Bethesda's Todd Howard appears at Microsoft's stage and talks more about Fallout 4. Todd already dumped loads of information about the new game planned for a November release. But he did talk about something for Xbox One players of course. Xbox One copies of Fallout 4 will come with a free copy of Fallout 3. He then announces that Fallout 4's mods made in the PC version of the game will also be available for free first on the Xbox One.
EA Access to bring Titanfall first, Dragon Age: Inquisition later this year
EA's Peter Moore comes to the stage and announces that EA Access will be bringing its members Titanfall, with Dragon Age: Inquisition following later this year. He also reveals that all week-long, EA Access will be free to Xbox Gold Members to try out. EA Access is a premium membership allowing players to play EA games for free, get special discounts on Xbox One, get access to early betas, as well as play upcoming EA game first before it's officially released.
Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 was revealed
Then, Peter Moore reveals that Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a thing. More zombies, more plants, just like the first game it looks like a lot of fun.
Forza 6 is coming September 15
Then Forza 6 takes the stage in the most unusual fashion. They slowly bring down a car onto the small stage in the middle. A new trailer was shown and mentions 24 player online capability. Of course, the graphics look amazing.
Dark Souls 3 announced
No further introduction needed. From Software is bringing us the third game in the Dark Souls series. We are ready to die over and over...again...and again. It is confirmed though that this will be the final game for the series. No release date given.
The Division, Xbox One players get beta access first this December
The Division makes yet another E3 experience. It's slowly turning into a real game and we get new footage if the online shooter in action. The release date was already revealed and it will hit shelves 08/03/2016. Beta access to the game will come first on Xbox One this December.
Rainbow Six Siege on Xbox One will come with a free copy of Rainbow Six: Vegas and Vegas 2
Rainbow Six: Siege appears in Microsoft's stage and announces that you get free copies of the previous games. These free games will be available with the backwards compatibility feature on the Xbox One. Siege will be out on October 16, 2015.
ID@Xbox's strong list of indie games
And it won't be a Microsoft press conference without a indie montage. Xbox's indie lineup is looking stronger each year. Exciting titles like Tacoma and Gigantic was shown.
Early Access program coming to Xbox One
Xbox also announced an Early Access program for Xbox One, giving players the ability to try out games still in development before making a purchase to support it. Games like DayZ , The Long Dark, and Elite: Dangerous is confirmed to be in this program.
DayZ creator announces a new game called Ion
Dean Hall, maker of DayZ, is still working hard on it's online post-apocalyptic survival game but is already working on another project. It's called Ion and it makes its debut on Microsoft's stage floor.
Rise of the Tomb Raider gameplay footage shown
We finally get first look at gameplay for Rise of the Tomb Raider. It will be out on Xbox One first on November 10, 2015.
The Rare Replay announced
Miss Perfect Dark? Battle Toads? Conker? Banjo Kazooie? To celebrate Rare's 30th anniversary, rare is releasing the Rare Replay for Xbox. 30 games in one package.
Sea of Thieves announced
Rare then announced a new game. It's a pirate game, and a shared world pirate game. We are sold with the idea of making a player walk the plank. ARGH!
Fable Legends features cross-compatibility and cross-play
Fable Legends, the Free-To-Play coop game for Xbox One and Windows 10, makes an appearance and features cross-compatibility and cross-play. It will be out this year.
Xbox is working with Valve to bring the best VR to the players
Kudo Tsunoda takes the stage and announces that Microsoft is working with Valve to bring the best VR experience to players. They also mention the Oculus Rift being bundled with the Xbox One controller (announced last week). Valve's Vive VR didn't make an appearance, and the information on what this means is still not clear, but Microsoft is showing that they are staying really close to VR technology.
Minecraft with Hololens
Then they blew our minds by combining Minecraft with Microsoft's Hololens technology.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition to hit Xbox One
Now it's time to talk Gears of War. They start off by revealing Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, a fully rebuilt version of the first game that includes new content. The public beta starts today and will be released on August 25, 2015 on Xbox One.
Gears of War 4 announced
And to close off Microsoft. Gears of War 4 is happening. We did not get a series of explosions and set pieces, which is a nice touch. It's planned for a Christmas 2016 release window.
That's Microsoft's E3 2015 press conference. What do you think?
On March 4, 2015, Asiasoft held a launch event to promote their new gaming portal called 'PlayPark' for gamers in the Philippines. We were present at the event to get an idea of what PlayPark is all about, and witness the reveal of three games joining PlayPark's roster.
Attendees of the event were given the chance to relive part of their childhood by playing old-school playground games such as tumbang preso and a lot more. Why are those games in the event you ask? It's to give us a clear picture on what PlayPark is all about. “The Playpark Launch event is a great opportunity for everyone to experience the fun philosophy that Playpark represents,”. We’ve got the most anticipated online games under our belt, and we’re bringing in even more games down the road, so we’re excited to see what the future holds for online gaming in the Philippines now that Playpark is here and here to stay. “ says Jake San Diego, General Manager of Playpark.
Among the titles revealed to join PlayPark is the MMORPG Cabal 2, online rhythm game World in Audition, and online FPS Special Forces 2. Asiasoft has been quite aggressive since the acquisition of Level Up! Games last year with titles such as DC Universe Online, Blizzard's upcoming MOBA Heroes of the Storm (currently in closed beta), and Phantasy Star Online 2 hitting the Philippines. Online games has always been widely popular here and the added variety of games is greatly welcomed, and will greatly contribute in the growth of the online community in the near future.
You can check Asiasoft's Playpark and all their games here.
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