Esports Integrated (ESI) enjoyed success at the beginning of this week when it streamed the third event of the Esports Integrated Challenge Series, themed as the Kaki Bola Edition, on its Facebook Live page.
Fiera Fendi hosted the event, which took place in Selangor, Malaysia. It was also attended by YB Dato’ Sri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Minister of Youth and Sports, and Ahmed Faris Amir, Chief Executive Officer of ESI at VisualThree Studio.
Who is taking part?
Eight players from four different fields of entertainment – celebrities, athletes, streamers, and FIFA pro-players – compete at FIFA 21. The participants were Tomok (celebrity), Francisca Luhong (Miss Universe Malaysia), Soloz (mobile games pro-player and streamer), Daddyhood (mobile games pro-player and streamer), Steffi Sidhu (futsal athlete), Sean Selvaraj (football athlete), Luqmanhaziq (FIFA Pro), and Ayen (FIFA Pro).
“Today, I am proud to see our national players representing Malaysia Football League (MFL) and eMalaysia Football League (eMFL) here competing in a friendly match to expand the awareness of our Esports industry. I hope that more Malaysians would be inspired by these talents to participate in this booming industry and make Malaysia proud,” said Dato’ Sri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
The tournament was won by Team Engle, which consisted of Ayen and Daddyhood. They defeated Team Panther (Luqmanhzq and Ayen) in the final to take home a first prize worth RM5000.
The members of the audience also enjoyed some good fortune, with a prize pool of up to RM3000 being shared among them. There were also prizes of merchandise sponsored by VCMC, the Football Association of Selangor (FAS), and GamesBond.
Reezal Merican Naina Merican reiterated his pleasure at the event on the ESI official Facebook page. He commented that while the concept of esports was new to many people, he was excited to see so many enthusiastic youngsters devoting their energy to making esports more popular.
“I’m so excited for the fun and celebration given and I hope this tournament is not just to fill the free time, but the tournament should be used as a platform to sharpen the player’s talent, and to ‘upgrade level ‘ to the international tournament,” he said.
“Me and KBS always open up opportunities and support new initiatives for the benefit of Malaysian youth and sports. One of them with the establishment of this ESports Integrated (ESI). Yesterday I hoped my choice team Tomok and Steffi (Team Tiger) wins. But [it] was beaten by Soloz & Luqmanhzq (Team Panther) in the first round.”
ESI is an initiative that looks to develop a vibrant and entertaining esports entertainment ecosystem in Malaysia. At the same time as developing that ecosystem, the organisation also aims to make its values as diverse, ethical, and healthy as possible.
