IN a groundbreaking development that will boost the esports (video games) industry in the country, Smart Communications Inc. and leading esports management and production company Dark League Studios have teamed up to advance the sport while empowering gamers to level up and, hopefully, become national athletes in the future.
“This is better than TVJ (Tito Vic Joey),” quipped PLDT and Smart Communications Inc. president Al Panlilio, referring to the “Eat Bulaga” founders’ transfer to sister company TV 5 yesterday during the press launch of the partnership in Makati.
“Our partnership with Dark League Sports is in line with our commitment to provide the best gaming experience to Filipinos. We at Smart have always believed in the ability of Filipinos to dominate sports of all kinds, including esports,” Panlilio said.
“Through our collaboration with DLS, we hope to empower more aspiring esports athletes to level up their gameplay and compete in a much bigger arena,” he added.
“We are fortunate that among all the esports management companies in the country, we were chosen by Smart to be their partners. We share Smart’s vision for Philippine esports,” DLS co-founder and marketing officer Alfrancis Chua said in the same briefing.
“We are excited to leverage our expertise and experience in engaging the gaming community while inspiring Filipino gamers to fulfill their dreams,” Chua added.
The collaboration will use the Smart Giga Arena, the popular gaming portal that was launched in 2022 and now has more than two million active gamers, in organizing better and bigger tournaments with juicier prizes.
DLS chief executive officer AC Valdenor said the agreement with Smart would accelerate the realization that “esports can truly be a career path for our youth.
“We aim to engage more Filipino gamers at the grassroots by organizing new tournaments through the enhanced features on the GIGA Arena platform,” he said.
