MANILA, Philippines – Gearing up for a milestone event in Philippine Esports, leading digital services providers PLDT Home Fibr and Smart Communications have announced Team Mineski.Sports5 as the Philippine representative to the much anticipated ESL One Manila 2016, Southeast Asia’s first ever premier DOTA 2 tournament, that will gather some of the world’s best online gamers at SM MOA Arena on April 23 to 24.
Making history as the largest Esports event in the Philippines to date, ESL One Manila 2016 is spearheaded by Germany-based Turtle Entertainment – one of the world’s biggest Esports company – and is presented by PLDT Home Fibr and Smart, which have empowered Filipino gamers through innovative products, services and the most awesome Esports experiences.
Team Mineski.Sports5, which is composed of veteran Esports players Ryan Jay Qui, Benhur Lawis, Jun Kanehara, Jessie Vash Cuyco and Julius Caesar Sto. Domingo, will battle it out with seven other teams from Asia, Europe, and the United States – all vying for prestige and a stake at the massive prize pool worth USD250,000.
Banking on their determination and experience in the international scene, Mineski.Sports5 emerged at the top of the multi-legged nationwide qualifiers that gathered teams in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, and Manila.
Changing the game for gamers
“We are very thrilled to help bring a world class gaming event in our country and put us on the map of the booming international Esports scene. This is a milestone in PLDT Home Fibr and Smart’s pioneering efforts when it comes to ‘changing the game’ for Filipino gamers and fueling their passions with meaningful innovations and awesome experiences – both at home and mobile through the powerful convergence of our services,” said Ariel P. Fermin, EVP and Head of Consumer Business at PLDT and Smart.
“ESL One Manila 2016 also builds on our thrust to elevate online gaming to a form of a sport, where the values of team work and discipline, coupled with strategy and mental agility, are showcased. We are rooting for our Philippine representative to prove that Filipinos have what it takes to excel in competitive online gaming in the international arena,” he added.
Exclusive perks for PLDT Home and Smart subscribers
More than 10,000 Filipino fans and gaming enthusiasts are expected to show up at the two-day event, which promises an exhilarating world-class spectacle, which will also be exclusively broadcast by TV5.
As a treat, PLDT Home Fibr and Smart subscribers enjoy first dibs on exclusive perks, such as a chance to score tickets to the event, win Steam vouchers, meet and greet their favorite Esports teams, as well as take home exciting prizes from raffle and games.
PLDT Home Fibr and Smart are also setting up hubs at the event to showcase how the latest games and entertainment are best experienced with fast and reliable fixed and wireless connectivity, backed by the country’s most robust and extensive fiber optic footprint that spans over 100,000 kilometers, effectively boosting the Filipinos’ connected homes and digital lifestyles.
Powerful and pioneering products for gamers
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. With its gripping graphics and gameplay that requires great strategy and coordination among teams, DOTA 2 has become a hit game among millions of professional and casual players around the world.
PLDT allows Filipinos to take their game play to the next level with PLDT Home Fibr, the country’s most powerful broadband service with the unique feature of symmetrical download and upload speeds – perfect for exhilarating and action-packed online multiplayer games like DOTA 2. For greater convenience, PLDT Home has also made it easier for subscribers to charge their Steam wallet purchases to their bill.
On the other hand, Smart has introduced unparalleled convenience to Filipino gamers through Gamex, a pioneering platform that allows users to buy credits for popular PC and mobile games using prepaid load or postpaid account by visiting gamex.ph/epins, the country’s leading gaming portal.
Those into mobile games can also rely on Big Bytes 50 – Smart’s biggest mobile data offer yet – which now offers ‘double data’ with 700 MB for gaming and surfing, plus 600 MB for streaming on YouTube, YouTube Gaming and iflix – valid for 3 days, still at P50.
Smart’s direct carrier billing on Google Play also allows mobile gamers to buy games and make in-app purchases conveniently using their prepaid load or charged to their postpaid account.
Solid support for Esports
ESL One Manila 2016 adds to the growing list of world-class Esports events that PLDT and Smart mounted to support the passions of Filipino gamers and enthusiasts.
Just last October, both companies backed the Esports and Gaming Summit, the country’s biggest showcase of games and publishers. Last September, they also staged the much celebrated Asia Pop Comic Con Manila, the first ever international comics convention in the country.
Smart also mounted the Philippine Clash, the country’s biggest and most prestigious nationwide Clash of Clans tournament last September, and helped put together Rampage 2015, the national finals for League of Legends, in August.
Since 2013, both PLDT Home Fibr and Smart have also been mounting grassroots and pocket tournaments for hit online games all around the country.
For more information on the exciting activities at ESL One Manila 2016, visit esl-one.com/dota2/manila-2016 and follow PLDT Home and Smart’s official accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.