Southeast Asian esports and web3 company Ampverse has announced its expansion into the Philippines.
The organisation will invest over ₱100m (~£1.5m) into the country with a core focus on four pillars: esports, talent, commerce and Web3.
Along with its expansion, Ampverse has signed a local amateur Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) team to compete under the newly-formed Minana brand. According to a release, the company’s mission is to build Minana into a true Pinoy lifestyle and gaming brand.
Moreover, Julius ‘Banoobs’ Mariano has been appointed as Ampverse’s Regional Expansion Manager to spearhead the brand’s growth in market. Prior to joining the company, Mariano was Twitch’s Country Manager for the Philippines where he developed strategies to promote the local streaming community. In the coming months, Mariano’s appointment will be followed by a number of new hires to further support this new branch.
Since being founded in 2019, Ampverse has acquired four esports entities: Vietnamese organisation SBTC Esports and Indian organisation 7Sea, as well as Thai esports teams Bacon Time and Made in Thailand. The company has also revealed plans to enter Indonesia by the end of 2022.
Earlier this year, Ampverse launched Ampverse Web3, a metaverse-focused business division, to build ‘highly engaged gaming communities’.
Ferdinand Gutierrez, CEO of Ampverse, commented on the expansion: “The gaming scene in the Philippines is flourishing; over the past several years, we have witnessed incredible developments and the landscape is now ripe for further growth and success. As a Filipino myself, I’m excited to go back to my roots and build something special in this thriving market. My mission is to grow the Filipino gaming ecosystem to world-class status.”
Ampverse’s investment into the Philippine and Indonesian markets is backed by the $12m (~£9.16m) Series A funding round the company raised earlier this year.
