eSports
Hyprop partners with MTN to host South Africa’s largest national gaming tournament
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.
The post Hyprop partners with MTN to host South Africa’s largest national gaming tournament appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
eSports
Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video
Prime Video, one of the leading entertainment destinations, will premiere the five-part documentary Esports World Cup: Level Up on June 6, with new episodes released weekly. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, Elton John: Never Too Late and Martha), the series goes behind-the-scenes of the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) in 2024 — a defining moment in global esports, where over $60 million in prize money ignited a high-stakes, multinational battle to crown the world’s top esports Club.
The series is produced by This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television), with R.J. Cutler directing, John Dorsey serving as showrunner, and Jane Cha Cutler, Trevor Smith, Elise Pearlstein and Mark Blatty executive producing. Level Up will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Esports World Cup: Level Up offers a rare look inside a global competition that’s redefining what it means to be a champion for a new generation of athletes and fans. R.J. Cutler and his team of expert storytellers embedded themselves within the eight-week tournament – watched by over 500 million fans globally – to uncover the personal sacrifices, rivalries and stakes driving the action.
Shot in verité style, the series combines intimate home visits from around the world and on-the-ground coverage from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It follows a wide cast of characters – from Club CEOs orchestrating million-dollar strategies to rising stars chasing life-changing wins – while capturing the pulse of elite esports competition.
“What drew me to the Esports World Cup was the compelling human stories unfolding within this high-stakes arena. Level Up isn’t just about the incredible competition and prize money; it’s about the dedication, the passion, and the sheer will of these athletes and teams pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Under high pressure, we discover the true character of the competitors who vie for $60 million, but who also expose their humanity in the process,” said Cutler.
At the heart of Level Up is the “EWC Club Championship,” an unprecedented, multi-title tournament format where Clubs compete across more than 20 games, earning points toward a single leaderboard. Every match, every point, reshapes the race for global dominance. With the highest prize pool in esports history on the line, the EWC is not just a tournament – it’s a proving ground for the next generation of sports icons.
“A win might make the headlines — but the real story is the people behind it. Level Up dives into the human side of esports: the pressure, the ambition, the sacrifices. It’s about what it really takes to compete at the highest level — and why it matters. R.J. is the best at bringing those stories to life, and this one captures the heart of what we’re building,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation.
The post Emmy-Winning Director R.J. Cutler’s Docuseries Esports World Cup: Level Up Premieres June 6 on Prime Video appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Esports betting pioneer adds daily fantasy esports offering to its growing range of products, with its sights set on the US market
PandaScore, the award-winning provider of esports odds, data and betting products, has continued to push boundaries with the launch of Daily Fantasy eSports, a truly groundbreaking product for operators and players.
Daily Fantasy eSports has been developed for the US market but will have global appeal with players drawn in by the chance to create virtual teams of real-life players and earn points based on their actual game performances.
Contests range from daily matchups to season-long leagues, with plenty of prizes up for grabs.
PandaScore’s Daily Fantasy eSports is backed by an expert-led esports trading team to deliver fast, accurate settlement data across unique, player-focused markets driven by the provider’s established and proven betting models.
An Interactive Player Widget serves up rich player stats and profiles, with PandaScore’s powerful BetBuilder enabling same-game parlays.
But that’s not all. PandaScore has more than 17,000 players in its esports player age and info database, the largest in the market.
It also offers dedicated helper codes and documentation to ensure smooth and seamless operator integration. It really is as easy as 1-2-3.
1 – There is a kick-off call to align on goals, timelines and fantasy formats.
2 – The operator accesses PandaScore’s dedicated fantasy-focused API to accelerate the build
3 – The dedicated integration manager ensures effortless onboarding and a successful launch
By leveraging PandaScore’s odds and data, alongside its team of experts and specialists, online sportsbook and daily fantasy sports operators can launch faster, ensure accuracy and scale their Daily Fantasy eSports offering with confidence.
Oliver Niner, Head of B2B at PandaScore, said: “Daily Fantasy eSports is a pioneering product from PandaScore that will really hit the mark with operators across North America, as well as other global markets.
“It allows operators to engage esports fans and bettors with a compelling product and proposition, but without the degree of risk that comes with standard betting as the payouts are controlled.
“Daily Fantasy eSports is already live with Dabble and is performing incredibly well, so we look forward to going live with more operators in the coming months.
“This really is a game-changing product, and we can’t wait to see it become available at some of the biggest betting brands in North America and beyond.”
The launch of Daily Fantasy eSports complements PandaScore’s growing esports betting offering, which includes odds and data for a huge number of disciplines, plus betting products like its BetBuilder, MicroMarkets and StoryBuilder.
The post PandaScore launches game-changing Daily Fantasy eSports product appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Esports Charts, a Ukraine-born analytics company that aggregates real-time viewership insights about esports, has won the Esports Innovation Award at the EsportsNext Industry Awards, hosted by the Esports Trade Association (ESTA) in Dallas, US.
The Esports Innovation Award recognizes an organization or individual that has introduced groundbreaking technology, services, or strategies significantly advancing the esports industry.
Esports Charts was honored for its scalable analytics platform, which provides comprehensive tournament and viewership statistics across more than 25 livestreaming services — helping stakeholders from publishers and teams to fans make smarter, data-driven decisions.
“Winning the Innovation Award from ESTA is an important milestone for us as a leading esports analytics service in the world. Also, we’re especially proud to represent Ukraine-born innovation on an international stage.
“From day one, our mission has been to bring clarity and transparency to the world of esports data. And this recognition from the industry is both an honor and a motivation to keep raising the bar.
“Thank you to our incredible team and partners, who believed in us from the start. This award is a shared success — and we’re just getting started,” Artyom Odintsov, co-founder and CEO of Esports Charts.
The post Esports Charts Wins “Esports Innovation Award” at the EsportsNext Industry Awards appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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