To improve Esports and give aspiring gamers from the grassroots the opportunity to rise to the professional leagues and become national athletes, PLDT cellular subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Esports event management and production firm, Dark League Studios (DLS), have partnered.
Additionally, Smart and DLS will collaborate to bring more thrilling and immersive gaming experiences through the Smart GIGA Arena, the nation’s first all-in-one Esports platform that gives amateur players of well-known games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Call of Duty Mobile, Player’s Unknown Battleground, and League of Legends Wild Rift tournament experience.
Through the cooperation, Smart will be able to expand GIGA Arena in terms of the number of competitions, the onboarding of game developers, and the availability of consumer-focused activities on the platform.
The Smart GIGA Arena has hosted over 2 million people in about 1,000 competitions since its start in 2022, awarding more than PHP 4.2 million in prizes.
The Philippine Esports Organization (PeSo) and Smart and DLS have agreed through this agreement to work closely together to follow industry best practices and uphold the highest standards of integrity.
Both Smart and DLS are gearing up to engage more Filipino gamers with new tournaments and enhanced features on the GIGA Arena platform.
Bringing the best gaming experience to Filipinos
“Our partnership with DLS is in line with our commitment to provide the best gaming experience to Filipinos. We at Smart have always believed in the ability of Filipinos to dominate sports of all kinds – including Esports. Through our collaboration with DLS, we hope to empower more aspiring Esports athletes to level up their gameplay and compete in a much bigger arena,” said Al S. Panlilio, PLDT Inc and Smart Communications President and CEO.
“We share Smart’s vision for Philippine Esports, and we are excited to leverage our expertise and experience in engaging the gaming community and inspiring Filipino gamers to fulfill their dream,” said Alfrancis Chua, Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer of Dark League Studios.
“We are glad to see the support of Smart to elevate the industry and align our initiatives in favor of the sport. This will help generate more opportunities for aspiring Filipino gamers to showcase and develop their skills as they aspire to become the next generation of Team SIBOL athletes.” said Marlon Marcelo, Executive Director of Philippine Esports Organization.
The Philippines’ Fastest and Best Mobile Network
Smart empowers Filipino gamers with the Philippines’ fastest and best mobile network, as recognized by Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband network intelligence.
Smart is first and only Philippine mobile operator to win Ookla’s Best Mobile Network award in Q1-Q2 2022 and Q3-Q4 2022. To get this rare and prestigious recognition, Smart won both the Fastest Mobile Network and Best Mobile Coverage awards within the same reporting periods.
As of end-March 2023, Smart’s 3G, 4G/LTE and 5G network covers 97 percent of the country’s population.
To learn more about Smart’s Esports programs and efforts and services, follow its official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, or visit its official website at smart.com.ph.