Event organiser ESL has announced it will operate the official League of Legends: Wild Rift tournaments in Malaysia and Thailand for 2021 as the appointed partner of Riot Games Southeast Asia.
In addition, ESL will host a collegiate Wild Rift tournament in Thailand next year.
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The competitive circuit will begin in April 2021 with an open qualifier system to identify the best teams in each respective region. Local champions will then advance to represent their country in a larger Southeast Asia regional tournament.
Nick Vanzetti, Senior Vice President of ESL Gaming Asia-Pacific Japan commented in a release: “The mobile esports market in Southeast Asia continues to grow at breakneck speed and we are excited to have Wild Rift in Malaysia and Thailand for 2021. We are proud to expand our partnership with Riot Games with more titles and build up the Wild Rift esports ecosystem together with them in Malaysia and Thailand.”
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ESL will additionally host ‘Wild Rift Open Cups’ on its ESL Play platform in 2021 to ‘provide additional opportunities for aspiring teams to compete.’ More information on next year’s Wild Rift esports plans is said to be disclosed in the coming weeks.
On the partnership, Chris Tran, Head of Esports for Riot Games Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau added: “We are delighted that League of Legends: Wild Rift players and teams in Thailand and Malaysia will have a chance to showcase their talents on the local and regional stage. In partnership with ESL, we look forward to bringing an exciting year of new legacies and team rivalries to passionate mobile MOBA esports audiences across these key markets.
“Our collegiate tournaments in Thailand will also set the scene for up and coming MOBA competitors, with community-focused gaming experiences that everyone can enjoy.”
Esports Insider says: Not long ago, ESL earmarked Asia-Pacific as an area of expansion for the company, and as times goes on, we can see that commitment come increasingly more to fruition. It will be interesting to see how League of Legends: Wild Rift continues to bloom in the esports ecosystem.