The Ateneo Alumni Association (AAA) partnered with Smart Communications to hold the Alumni E-sports Challenge 2021 (AEC), the first e-sports tournament created for the academe, featuring Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, the premiere mobile, multiplayer, online game that has dominated e-sports and e-gaming all over the world. This will take place on December 17-19, 2021 January 20-22, 2022, marking the first amateur e-games tournament of its kind in the country to date. AEC will see Ateneo alumni grouped in 6-member teams go head-to-head for a share of a P500,000 prize pool, with the winning team receiving as much as P250,000 in cash. More than just cash, P500,000 in gadgets, merch items, and other non-cash, in-kind prizes from sponsors will also be on the line for winners, participating teams, and viewers alike. Interested players should pay a P500.00 joining fee. Each team should have at least 5 players and 1 coach, 3 of those should be members of the AAA, whether annual or lifetime, aged 12 years old and up. Teams may have professional E-sports players, but only one (1) per team will be allowed. To join register your team at the AAA website at https://esports.ateneoalumniassociation.org/
The global following of e-games, and the absence of actual face-to-face sports due to the pandemic, has led the AAA to creating AEC 2021, with the objective of securing for the Ateneo community its share of some e-sports action, and gaining the huge benefits for its
scholars, in the process. It could also be the venue where new e-sports athletes and talents could be discovered. The event will also play host to notable e-sports and gaming personalities including professional shout casters Naisou and Renmar, as well as casters Brigida and Bibimbap, and other known gamers and content creators.
The Alumni E-Sports Challenge will feature a single-elimination bracket, with the top eight teams playing through the semi-finals, and concluding with the top four teams in the finals. Action from the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals will be live-streamed on the Ateneo Alumni Association and Smart Facebook pages, TikTok, and YouTube accounts — promising three days of intense and exciting matches. The whole AEC tournament shall also be featured as an 1-hour special on Cignal TV at a latter date.
The P500,000 prize pool for the event will be split, with 1st place receiving P250,000, 2nd place receiving P125,000, 3rd place receiving P75,000, and 4th place receiving P50,000. Players shall use a Smart SIM to play, the game’s leading proponent, and the country’s biggest mobile and data service provider.
“It’s an honor to be able to host the country’s first e-sports games created for the academe with Smart, the country’s leader in mobile and data, and to provide more competitive opportunities for our alumni, then eventually including other schools in future games, as
well. With Mobile Legends: Bang Bang as one of the most-watched e-sports titles in the world, we have seen an incredible increase of players on this platform at a global level. We look forward to seeing the teams comprised of both amateur and professional e-sports gamers battle it out against each other in a healthy environment of brotherhood and camaraderie,” said AAA President Dennis Cariño.
About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the most popular mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game worldwide that brings communities together through teamwork and strategy. With over one billion installations and 100 million active monthly users, the award-winning game is among the top 10 most played in over 80 countries. With an extensive reach across the Asia Pacific region, the multiplayer is available in 139 countries with an expansive global esports presence. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports serves as a platform for players to pursue their dreams of becoming esports athletes and illuminate opportunities within the international esports ecosystem.
Media Contacts
Ateneo Alumni Association:
Ana Bulatao
Senior Admin Officer
Mobile: +63917-591-4774
Email: ambulatao@ateneoalumniassociation.org
