At a launch event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday, the eGG Network announced the first Major of the 2018/19 Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) season. Held in Malaysia for the first time on the 16-18th of November, this represents a growing presence of esports events in South East Asia since ESL Genting in 2016.
Partnering with both PGL and ImbaTV to run qualifiers and streams, the main event will take place at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur. Billed as “the largest DOTA 2 tournament in Malaysia”, it will boast a $1m USD (£780k) prize pool. Lee Choong Khay, Chief of Sports at eGG Network’s parent company Astro said that this has been in the works for over “two years”, and is part of eGG’s initiative to “develop esports and the ecosystem for gamers and fans in Malaysia and the entire region.”
Also in attendance were pro players Chai “Mushi” Yee Fung and Jian Wei “xNova” Yap, as well as the Minister of Youth and Sports YB Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman who spoke to Esports Insider: “This multi-billion dollar industry must belong to Malaysia. Its heart should be in Malaysia. Whatever this ministry can do to help facilitate that, we look forward to working with everyone here to ensure that Malaysia becomes the esports hub of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations).”
Tickets will be on sale on 1st October, with users of U Mobile and Astro getting access to a pre-sale in September. Tickets start at MYR180 (£33) to MYR600 (£112) for the “Immortal” package. Qualifiers start 16-21st September on Twitch.tv/PGL.
Esports Insider says: Securing a Major is a great success for Astro and Malaysia, being the second country in South East Asia to host a Valve-sponsored event. While events across South East Asia are still sparse, the success of the Manila Major and ESL Genting has shown that there is definitive interest in the South East Asia market. Organisers that manage to navigate the multitude of languages and communities to tap into the budding market will find themselves with crowds of hungry and eager fans.