The start of MTE activity in MENA is also accompanied by the appointment of Mario Pérez Guerreira as CEO for the region.
MENA Tech (MTE), a company owned by GGTech Entertainment to manage its MENA operations, has launched Strike Arabia Championship, the first Valorant competition to unite competitors across the GCC, Iraq, Levant, Egypt and North Africa.
It is the result of MENA Tech’s agreement with Riot Games, which includes the organisation and integral management of the tournament and content production.
The Strike Arabia Championship is the only tournament that directly links with larger international competitions – giving local teams an opportunity to gain industry recognition abroad.
The MENA teams will compete for a place in September’s LAN Grand Final and a chance at snagging a US$50,000 prize pool. The team that comes out on top will be automatically entered in to the Last Chance Qualifiers for Europe, held in October.
Commenting on the partnership, Daniel Ringland, Head of Valorant Esports in MENA and Europe at Riot Games said: “MENA is a hugely important region for Valorant with massive amounts of potential. We believe the region will contribute greatly to the overall growth of the esport’s ecosystem and we’re excited to continue this journey alongside MENA’s pro players, teams and most importantly, the fans. We can’t wait to be joined by the winner of the Strike Arabia Championship at the Last Chance Qualifiers in October.”
The implementation of the Strike Arabia Tournament has been made possible through a relationship GGTech has cultivated with the main publishers, which has seen collaboration at an international level, and aims to encourage and promote the development of an Esports ecosystem, both in the professional and amateur environment, as well as in the educational field, throughout the region.
A first step will be the launch of the UNIVERSITY Esports league in the main countries of the region, as well as the development of some amateur tournaments.
The start of MTE activity in MENA is also accompanied by the appointment of Mario Pérez Guerreira as CEO for the region. In his new position, Pérez Guerreira will deal with different publishers, hiring the team responsible for the activity in the region, attracting brands/sponsorships, managing events and launching professional and amateur tournaments in the region.
Mario Pérez Guerreira added: “We are excited about these first steps at MENA Tech and with the work that the GGTech group is giving in the region, and above all having Riot Games as the main partner of our activity. It is incredible to be able to collaborate to promote the competitive scene, all while generating quality content for fans in the area. And it is encouraging to see that the main publishers are betting so strongly on the growth and competitive positioning of MENA in the global esports scene. All of this is a great responsibility for our team.”
In the coming months, the fundamental objective of MENA Tech in the region is to open new competitions in different countries, both in the educational, professional, and amateur environment at the hands of different publishers.
GGTech operates in three continents and in more than 16 countries, which will become 25 by the end of the year. The company will directly manage both its own and licensed competitions, such as the UNIVERSITY Esports League with more than 1,200 universities and over 100,000 university students participating, registered in nine different games, qualifying to participate in the regular phase, more than 11,000 teams.
More than 200,000 registered players participate in amateur competitions managed and operated by GGTech. In the professional environment, in less than one year, the level of participation in the activity being managed exceeds 6,000 players and 1,000 teams.