PLDT, Smart open nationwide qualifiers for ESL One Manila, Biggest DOTA 2 Event in Asia
Filipino players and fans of the hit game DOTA 2 can now vie to be part of Asia’s first and biggest premium DOTA 2 event as PLDT Home, the country’s number one broadband provider, and Smart, the country’s unrivaled mobile services provider, have officially opened the online registration for the nationwide open qualifiers for ESL One Manila.
Spearheaded by the Germany-based ESL, the world’s largest eSports company, ESL One Manila will gather the world’s top DOTA 2 players in a battle for prestige and a prize pool worth USD250,000 at the Mall of Asia Arena on April 23 to 24.
Filipino DOTA 2 teams of five players may now sign up for the qualifiers at http://play.eslgaming.com/dota2/southeast-asia/dota2/major/esl-one-manila-2016-qualifiers to win a slot to the competition.
The Mindanao Qualifiers are set on January 24 (Imba-Cagayan de Oro) and January 31 (Mineski Infinity-Davao), followed by the Visayas Qualifiers on February 7 (Mineski Infinity -Cebu) and February 14 (Mineski Portal-Cebu).
The Luzon Qualifiers are set on Feb. 21 (Mineski Infinity-Taft) and February 28 (Mineski-Dapitan), followed by the Online Qualifier set on March 6.
Registered teams will compete in a single elimination format, and the winning team from each Qualifier will battle it out at the Philippine Finals from March 8 to 13, where the top team would win a much-coveted slot at ESL One Manila to represent the country and compete with their international counterparts.
“ESL has been eager to bring ESL One to Southeast Asia, and with the Philippines’ rich DOTA 2 history, we couldn’t think of a better place,” said Ulrich Schulze, VP Pro Gaming at ESL. “ESL One Manila by PLDT & Smart will make history as the region’s largest eSports competition to date, and we’re confident we can deliver a world-class experience to local and international fans both at the venue and online,” he added.
“Through our groundbreaking services, both PLDT Home and Smart have paved the way in empowering Filipino gamers and enriching their passion, which is why we are very thrilled to host ESL One Manila,” said Mellissa Limcaoco, Head of Innovation and Product Development at Smart.
“This is a milestone in the eSports industry in the Philippines, and we can’t wait for our own DOTA 2players to stand out and prove that we are at par with the best eSports players in the world,” added Limcaoco.
A multi-player online battle arena game, DOTA 2 matches are played between two five-player teams whose goal is to destroy the stronghold of the opposite team while defending their own. The game features stunning graphics and requires great strategy and coordination among teams, making it a popular game among millions of professional and casual players around the world.
PLDT allows Filipinos to take their gaming to the next level with PLDT Home Fibr, the country’s most powerful broadband service, which is perfect for exhilarating and action-packed online multiplayer games like DOTA 2. On the other hand, Smart has introduced unparalleled convenience to Filipino gamers through Gamex, a pioneering platform that allows users to buy credits to popular PC and mobile games using their prepaid load or postpaid account.
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