One Esports Dota 2 Singapore World Pro Invitational kicks off at Singapore Indoor Stadium

Today’s the day! The biggest Dota 2 event ever held here — the really mouthful One Esports Dota 2 Singapore World Pro Invitational — has kicked off proper at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. And unless you took leave or an “urgent sick day” (or just don’t have a job), you’re probably, like us, watching it all unfold on Twitch. 

Twelve of the best professional teams from around the world were invited to to compete for a US$500,000 (S$677,835) prize pool, which doesn’t seem to be that much, but respectable enough to attract the globally-renowned likes of Evil Geniuses, Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, Vici Gaming, and more. 

Don’t worry, the US$1 million tournament will be landing here next year for the first-ever Dota 2 Singapore Major. Plus, the event in June 2020 will be the last Major tournament before the big one: The International in Stockholm, Sweden. 

At the centre of it all is One Esports, the esports arm of Singapore-based mixed martial arts organisation One Championship. Thanking the likes of Lazada, DBS Bank, Harvey Norman, Singapore Tourism Board, and a hundred other sponsors, One Esports CEO Carlos Alimurung described bringing the event to life a “herculean effort”. 

During a press conference on Wednesday (Dec 18), Carlos was ardent in his belief that esports are just as legitimate as traditional sports, with One Championship leading the charge to change minds. 

“By us putting martial arts literally next to the esports athletes in Street Fighter and Tekken, we were also making the argument that these esports athletes work equally hard and they persevere equally hard to make it to the top,” he remarked. 

In the global scale of things, Dota 2 may be the granddaddy of modern esports, but where Southeast Asia is concerned, it's all about League of Legends and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Especially so for the latter title — mobile gaming is the platform of choice for gamers in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. 

Dota 2 is only the first of many games that One Esports will get involved in, Carlos assured, teasing upcoming announcements that’ll see the organisation having a finger in more pies in the future. 

“You’re going to see us continue to invest across all different types of game titles, including fighting games and (multiplayer online battle arenas). You’ll see a more diverse portfolio of games and titles that One Esports will get involved in,” he said. 

The Main Event

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxbX6V7khzY[/embed]

Though the showdown at Singapore Indoor Stadium kicked off this morning, the World Pro Invitational started much earlier on December 17 for the Group Stage. Maybe it’s just us, but the stadium didn’t appear to be particularly packed judging from the rows upon rows of empty seats and the general lack of audience clamour typically heard during these things. 

Carlos was reticent about shedding light on the exact amount of ticket sales so far, but he expects that it’ll be a full house on Saturday and Sunday at the 8,000-seater venue. 

“What I’ll say is that even just the engagement and viewership that we’re getting on the livestream for the group stage has been incredibly impressive and we’re super happy with that.” 

The tournament continues tomorrow and on to Sunday for the Grand Finals — those who aren’t able to make it to the stadium (the cheapest category of tickets go for just $8 by the way) can watch the showdown on One Esports’ various channels, including Twitch, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. 

ilyas@asiaone.com