Video game publisher Riot Games, which is behind the title League of Legends, is working alongside MTV to launch a festival that includes both esports and music. Entitled Hyperplay, the festival will take place in Singapore.
Hyperplay will be presented by the Singapore Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and the National Youth Council of Singapore, and will last for two days. Parts of the festival will be live-streamed, with ‘key segments’ being broadcast across Southeast Asia. There will be a League of Legends ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) competition taking place alongside a variety of musicians.
Paras Sharma, Senior Vice President of Southeast Asia, Viacom International Media Networks discussed the initiative: “There is a natural synergy between esports and music and with MTV’s expertise in creating compelling music and pop culture experiences, we are amplifying the discovery of a new entertainment experience in the region. With Hyperplay, we are looking to connect with new audiences in the esports genre through a bespoke music platform featuring a diverse range of talents, and the distribution of music and esports content to a much wider audience base.”
Johnson Yeh, Managing Director of Riot Games, Greater China and Southeast Asia also commented: “Riot has been engaging in musical collaborations with great artists for years. A lot of gamers are also music fans, but it is exciting to see that a lot of talented musicians are also gamers, with whom we can create tailored music experiences within our game universe.”
Esports Insider says: This is certainly an unexpected move for Riot Games, but with the blossoming popularity of esports in Southeast Asia, it’s definitely an interesting concept. We look forward to seeing how Hyperplay comes together.
