eSports
Hyprop partners with MTN to host South Africa’s largest national gaming tournament
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/gamingstuff-scaled.jpg)
R50k in prize money, eight qualifiers nationwide, culminating in one epic gaming showdown…this is the MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience 2024!
Get ready for another exhilarating display of gaming prowess, MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience is back. Now in its second year, it is the largest national mall-based gaming tournament ever held in the country. This groundbreaking event will feature a series of eight qualifier events held at Hyprop Malls across the nation over the next four months, culminating in an epic National Final taking place at Canal Walk in Cape Town this September.
Christie Stanbridge, Hyprop’s Brand and Campaigns Marketing Manager, remarked, “The goal of our national gaming tournament is to create a vehicle for making esports accessible to everyone, breaking down barriers and removing the stigma that gaming is only for a certain age group. We aim to ensure that people from all walks of life can come together to play games and participate in the thrilling world of esports.”
Jason Probert, General Manager: Digital Services at MTN South Africa, expressed his excitement about the partnership with Hyprop on this landmark tournament: “We are thrilled to partner with Hyprop to bring this tournament to life. This event is a testament to the growing gaming culture in South Africa, and we are proud to support an initiative that not only showcases incredible talent but also brings communities together through the power of gaming. MTN is committed to driving digital innovation and creating unique experiences for gamers across the country.”
What can gamers of all ages and skill levels look forward to?
The second MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience follows its immense popularity among gamers and its suitability for all ages due to the selection of EA FC 24™ as the title to be played throughout the main events. The tournament promises to be a thrilling competition and will offer a gaming experience that appeals to a wide age group, ensuring there is something for everyone, from casual players to seasoned pros with additional competitions and activations taking place at each mall event.
Get ready for the ultimate showdown! Join our electrifying online and in-centre heats and prove you’ve got what it takes to make it to the National Final. Battled out on the ACGL platform, the online heat is your ticket to glory and a coveted spot in the top four to earn a place in the Mall Finals.
Players can sign up at the various Hyprop Malls to participate in one of the seven heats held from Friday to Sunday. The top four players from each heat will move on to the Mall Final, joining the four online qualifiers.
There are a select number of mall heats dedicated to scholars this year to ensure that our esport schools are represented. Be sure to check out the respective mall website for all the details.
Somerset Mall Online Qualifier | 9-Jun |
Somerset Mall Event | 14 to 16 Jun |
Rosebank Mall Online Qualifier | 16-Jun |
Rosebank Mall Event | 21 to 23 Jun |
The Glen Online Qualifier | 23-Jun |
The Glen Event | 28 to 30 Jun |
Clearwater Mall Online Qualifier | 7-Jul |
Clearwater Mall WM Event | 12 to 14 Jul |
Woodlands Boulevard Online Qualifier | 14-Jul |
Woodlands Boulevard Event | 19 to 21 Jul |
Table Bay Mall Online Qualifier | 4-Aug |
Table Bay Mall Event | 9 to 11 Aug |
Capegate Online Qualifier | 18-Aug |
Capegate Event | 23 to 25 Aug |
Canal Walk Online Qualifier | 8-Sep |
Canal Walk Event | 11 to 15 Sep |
The events at the participating Hyprop Malls will include a variety of competitions and engaging activities, featuring not only the main MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience efootball tournament, but also a range of smaller competitions and activations. Participants and spectators alike can enjoy a dynamic gaming environment.
National Final in Cape Town:
The grand finale will take place at Canal Walk, featuring all the excitement of the Mall Events plus additional high-stakes competitions. The eight finalists from each mall will compete for the ultimate title and a share of the R50,000 prize pool:
- 1st Place: R25,000
- 2nd Place: R15,000
- 3rd Place: R7,500
- 4th Place: R2,500
Additional Competitions and Activations
Win with MTN and Battle+: MTN will host a Beat Saber competition with Xbox Series S consoles as prizes.
Beat Saber is a VR rhythm game where you slash the beats of adrenaline-pumping music as they fly towards you, surrounded by a futuristic world.
Beat Saber will be played on Battle+, MTN’s esport platform, where you can watch exclusive videos and play tournaments or compete in challenges to earn rewards. Battle+ is available on play.mtn for all MTN subscribers.
Computer Mania Pop-Up Shops: Computer Mania, a premium retailer at our malls, will host pop-up shops where you can purchase all the products on display. Shop the latest gaming gear available at great prices, exclusively available during the Shift Gaming event.
PC Gaming Zone: Compete for prizes and bragging rights in popular competitive games like Fortnite™, Rocket League, Minecraft, Flight Simulator, and Cities: Skylines II. Defeat your foes in style utilising the latest gaming tech with PCBuilder’s performance-optimised prebuilt gaming PCs. Whether you’re a first-time gamer, scholar, everyday gaming enthusiast, streamer, or professional gamer – every PCBuilder gaming PC is engineered to deliver the perfect balance of stunning visuals, lightning-fast speeds, and unrivalled gaming performance. Or build the gaming PC of your dreams with the PCBuilder custom build tool.
Keyboard Rebuild Race: Redragon has launched even more gaming keyboards in 2024! How do we celebrate much-needed gaming keyboard diversity? Join us for our hugely popular Redragon Keyboard Rebuild Race to test just how quick your fingers are. We’ll be giving away a brand new Redragon gaming keyboard daily – but only the fastest time wins!
The Toyota Gaming Engine SuperSprint (GT 7): Fastest daily lap wins a R1,000 Gift Card. An additional R5,000 Gift Card will be awarded overall to players that sign up to The Toyota Gaming Engine at MTN Shift Gaming Experiences.
Fighting Cup: Daily one-day cups for popular fighting games like Brawlhalla, Tekken, and Street Fighter 6. Prizes include R1,000 Mall Gift Cards for winners and R500 Mall Gift Cards for runners-up.
Additionally, the online and LAN Call of Duty Tournament is back, with a R60,000 prize pool to be won. The final takes place at Canal Walk in September.
Join us in celebrating the spirit of gaming across South Africa. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just looking for some fun, the MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience has something for everyone.
eSports
IESF Kicks off Bidding Process for 2025 and 2026 Events
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sdyuuiewudjnas.jpg)
The International Esports Federation (IESF) has officially launched the bidding process for the next two editions of the World Esports Championship and Regional Qualifiers. Cities interested in hosting IESF’s flagship event can learn more about the bidding process on the IESF Events Bidding Process page.
WEC, a long-standing tradition of competitions watched across the world, creates a direct opportunity for the host to link its city brand to the IESF Realm, multiple game titles, and some of the world’s best athletes.
IESF remains open to discussions with any cities, regions, or countries worldwide that are interested in hosting the World Esports Championship or Regional Qualifiers. We welcome inquiries from all potential hosts to explore the opportunities and benefits of bringing these premier esports events to their locations.
IESF General Secretary Boban Totovski said: “After Bali, Iasi, and Riyadh this year, we are all looking forward to our next host for the 17th World Esports Championship. We already have many cities waiting for the process to start bidding and we are all very excited to start the negotiations and discover where will the IESF flag go on the 19th of November in Riyadh, on the closing ceremony”
IESF assesses potential hosts based on several criteria, including how well they align with regional and national development plans, as well as the long-term strategic goals of the IESF vision and mission. The host city is expected to meet all requirements set by IESF. The final selection of the host city is made by a vote from the IESF Board.
The 2023 World Esports Championship in Iași, Romania, was a unique experience, attracting over 100,000 attendees and amassing an impressive 35 million viewers across all platforms. This year, the championship moves to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, promising to be the biggest event yet with a record 130 nations and over 600 players competing, solidifying Riyadh as this year’s Esports capital.
Which city will rise to become the next epicenter of esports excitement?
eSports
Skyesports Championship 2024: Aurora Gaming and 3DMAX Become First Teams to Advance to the Playoffs
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/sdafjlksajoidlkmdn.jpg)
The Skyesports Championship 2024, a $300,000 international Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament, is taking place at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai from July 24 to 28. As the Group Stage nears its conclusion, two teams have advanced to the prestigious Playoffs, where they will battle for glory and a shot at the lion’s share of the prize pool.
Serbia’s Aurora Gaming and France’s 3DMAX Vie for Glory: First Teams to Reach the Playoffs
Aurora Gaming and 3DMAX have earned this accolade with flawless records so far in the Group Stage.
The 11 participating teams, which include prominent esports organizations from Mongolia, France, Turkey, India, and Russia, have been split into two groups: A and B.
In Group A, Aurora has secured their spot in the Playoffs after convincing victories against Parivsion, ENCE, and True Rippers, standing first in their group with a 3-0 record. With their advancement to the next stage, Aurora is eyeing a consecutive third trophy in Skyesports’ IPs, having previously won the $350,000 Skyesports Masters 2024 and the Skyesports Grand Slam 2024 in Pune, India.
All eyes are still on Group A as teams like The Mongolz and ENCE have to battle it out on Day 3 to make it to the Playoffs.
In Group B, 3DMAX has triumphed over Amkal, DMS, and Revenant Esports, securing a 3-0 record at the top of the group.
The action continues in the Skyesports Championship on Day 3, as the final day of the Group Stage will decide who will join 3DMAX and Aurora Gaming in the Playoffs. Fans can catch all the action live on the Skyesports YouTube and Twitch channels.
Unlike the Group Stage, the Playoffs will take place on the main stage at the prestigious 5-star hotel, the Taj Lands End in Mumbai, India.
Group A Standings
Group B Standings
eSports
THE DOTA 2 VIRTUAL HALL OF FAME: GG.BET AND DOT ESPORTS PRESENT 50 WORLD RECORDS
![](https://europeangaming.eu/portal/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/dota2.jpg)
Dot Esports, the leading esports news outlet, and betting brand GG.BET have created a virtual hall of fame to celebrate 50 Dota 2 World Records. Check it out to discover the stories behind the most impressive feats in the game’s competitive history and watch videos of when they happened.
The Dot Esports team have painstakingly selected and presented Dota 2 records in 5 categories: players, teams, tournaments, content creators and talent. You can find a list of the extraordinary individuals and organizations in each one, as well as dive into the events that have made Dota 2 a Tier-1 esports discipline on the world stage.
GG.BET press office: “Although Dota 2 was released over 11 years ago, it continues to rank among the top games in the esports community. As we wait for the biggest tournament of the year, The International 13, to kick off, we’ve decided to look back and reflect on the most remarkable milestones throughout the competitive history of Dota 2. Did you know that the fastest time a match was won was in less than 8 minutes? Or that there’s a team that’s played 2813 professional matches? The experts at Dot Esports will tell you all about this and much more in our joint project. We’re delighted to support the creation of such insightful content.”
Jody Rones, CRO at Dot Esports: “From its humble beginning as a fan made mod to one of the largest games in the world, DotEsports is thrilled to partner with GG.BET to shine a light on DOTA and its community as it passes its 11 year mark. From the content creators, to the team, players, tournament organizers, shout casters and more, they’re a key part of what makes this esport great, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to give them the recognition they deserve with the launch of the collaborative DOTA World Records.”
50 Dota 2 World Records is already available on the Dot Esports website in English and Ukrainian.
Before the end of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive era and the transition to CS2, Dot Esports put a spotlight on 50 CS:GO World Records in collaboration with GG.BET. This project got a great reaction not just from the esports community, but from the players and teams themselves.
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