ISLAMABAD: Minister of Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has announced that Pakistan would organise a national level e-sports tournament in the country ‘soon’.
Pakistan today (Monday) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the gaming company Garena to organise a national level e-sports tournament.
“Garena is a renowned company,” Fawad said adding, “Free Fire (a battle royale game), in collaboration with Bigo, is organising a national tournament for the first time.” The minister further stated that some 567 teams from Pakistan will be participating in the gaming event.
“The winners in the event will be rewarded with prizes of up to Rs10 million. The winning team will also be able to participate in an international competition where prizes are collectively worth $2 million,” he added.
The Information Minister termed it an opportunity for gaming enthusiasts to become millionaires. “This is a major step towards e-sports and it will enable our youth to participate,” he added.
With the passage of time, the minister added, the world’s major companies will become a part of the pool. “This event will provide Pakistani youth with a significant opportunity,” he concluded.
Video games have become a booming business in the last few decades. Revenue in the sector is expected to reach $196 billion by 2022. With e-sports – professional video game competitions – evolving into a very profitable industry itself, it is not surprising gamers are benefiting as well.
In February last year, 20-year-old Sumail Hassan Syed was listed as one of the top-earning players with around $3.6 million earnings to date. Hassan made history in 2015 when he helped his team, Evil Geniuses’, claim the Defense of the Ancients 2 (Dota 2) Asian championship in China.
