ESL Heads to Manila on April 2016 with a $250,000 DOTA 2 Tournament

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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.

[Source:ESL One Manila]