The MANILA MASTERS 411

Over the past few years, E-Sports have been accepted just like traditional sports. E-Sports has provided an avenue for Filipino and gamers all over the world to showcase their talent when it comes to gaming. Just like the World Cup when it comes to football, the NBA Finals when it comes to basketball, E-Sports has the Manila Masters wherein the top DOTA 2 players would battle it out and compete for a whopping grand prize of $250,000.00 (PHP12,000,000) in prize pool and be named the first ever Manila Masters.

THE RISE OF E-SPORTS

Last year marked many milestones for e-sports in the Philippines. Filipino players consistently rose among the ranks and put the Philippines on the global map. The country also hosted several international gaming events last year, cementing the Philippines’ niche in the region as a force to reckon with in this fast-growing industry.

“E-sports is already as massive as traditional sports,” TV5 President and CEO Chot Reyes said. “With 32 million active gamers in the Philippines, the community is a passionate voice that cannot be ignored. We will send off our Philippine team to compete in the world stage with active support and a commitment to accompany them all the way through nationwide coverage.”

Mineski Franchise Corporation CEO Ronald Robins added, “The Philippine scene already has a strong backbone, and Philippine teams and organizations are getting stronger by the day. This time we want to strengthen Southeast Asia as a whole, despite the inevitable challenges ahead. Now, with the Masters, we are going to move forward again.”

PLDT Home Fibr, the country’s most powerful broadband, is perfect for multi-player and bandwidth-intensive games like Dota 2, because it can go as fast as 1 Gbps and enables equal upload and download speeds so gamers can definitely enjoy a seamless experience.

On the other hand, Smart’s fastest LTE network allows gamers to follow updates on their favorite teams and stream anytime and anywhere, powered by data-packed GigaSurf offers. Smart also allows gamers to purchase steam wallet codes conveniently via the leading portal, GameX. As part of its support for Manila Masters, Smart users can get a chance to witness the historic event and win Manila Masters tickets by following Smart’s official accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Smart subscribers can also get in on the action at the arena and livestream the event via Smart360 for an immersive experience on the go at 360.smart.com.ph.