| Aziz Idris |
MINISTER of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong visited the eSports Tournament and drone demonstration at Royal Brunei Recreation Club (RBRC) yesterday.
The visit was to ensure activities organised in conjunction with Brunei December Festival 2018 were running smoothly and to discuss ways to develop the two emerging sports in the Sultanate.
The three-day eSports tournament attracted 42 teams comprising over 300 gamers competing on the famous battle royal game Rules of Survival (RoS). The encouraging turn-out proves the popularity of eSports among the locals and its prospects to tap into the lucrative market.
According to CEO of Dojo Studio Joanna Osman, the majority of revenues from global gaming markets are from mobile games with 45 per cent followed by video console games with 31 per cent and PC games with 23 per cent.
RoS developers NetEast broadcast live matches of the tournament via Facebook link to reach out to over 230 million players.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali presented certificate to representatives of each team.
The champion will receive BND300 cash prize per team followed by BND200 and BND150 cash prize for second and third teams.
Organisers hoped to nurture national athletes to compete and bring home trophies as well as establish Brunei as a premium destination for hosting eSports.
RoS eSports Tournament is organised by Dojo Studios in collaboration with The Triple A BN.
The event is sponsored by DST, Peak Performance Sdn Bhd and Suci water with the support of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism.
The minister also viewed the drone demonstration by local pilots representing Brunei at the upcoming Southeast Asia Drone Racing Championship to be held next month.
Joanna said the first race was held last September at Jerudong Park which saw participation from 20 international and 10 local pilots.
The race series will run again in January which will focus on growing awareness and new interest in drones as well as giving chances for the public to learn to fly.