Dialog Play Expo to host Sri Lanka’s largest esports convention of the year

Wednesday, 5 December 2018 00:00 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From left: Dialog Axiata Product Manager – Gaming Services Udara Gunasekara, Dialog Axiata Product Manager – Gaming Services Supun Jayasinghe, Dialog Axiata Senior General Manager – Global and Content Services Mangala Hettiarachchi, ICTA Senior Consultant Indika De Soyza, InGame Entertainment CEO Raveen Wijayatilake, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Operating Officer Dr. Rainer Deutschmann, InGame Entertainment Director Vickum Jayasekera and InGame Entertainment Director Ramesh Liyanage 

Gamer.LK, the leader in esports and digital entertainment experiences, in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider, Dialog Axiata PLC, will be hosting the country’s largest Digital Entertainment and Technology Expo for the second consecutive year. 

The Dialog Play Expo is set to showcase the latest technology and experiences available for digital entertainment enthusiasts and opens opportunities for anyone interested in audio, video, music, movies, gaming and their related technologies.

Dialog Play Expo will once again play host to Sri Lanka’s flagship esports and video game championship, the 11th Sri Lanka Cyber Games (SLCG), alongside the Colombo Comic Expo (CCx) co-organised by PRUVE, the finest cosplay experience featuring Island’s largest pop-culture celebration. 

SLCG has grown to host esports athletes from across the country, sporting their clan jerseys, battling it out in-game with live commentary, shown on large screens as thousands watch and cheer on their favourites, both at the event and whilst streaming online.

SLCG will feature many popular online team games in the country, namely Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch, Special Force 2 and Rainbow Six Siege, as well as individual games such as FIFA 19, Fortnite, Injustice 2, and Tekken 7 as official titles. In addition, titles such as Starcraft 2, Dragon Ball Fighterz and Mobile Legends are included as promotional titles. 

Recognised as a competitively ranked event by the Sri Lanka Esports Association (SLESA), SLCG will also feature a Women’s Championship with Mario Kart 8, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Mortal Kombat: XL being played, as well as an Under 12 Championship aimed at introducing youngsters to the world of competitive gaming with Fruit Ninja and Subway Surfers.

The expo will host the grand finale of the Dialog Gaming League, a year-round gaming league consisting of the first-ever esports league structure in Sri Lanka, connecting winners of the Special Force 2 title amongst Gamer.LK’s Inter-School Esports Championship (ISEC) powered by Dialog Gaming, Gamer.LK’s Inter-University Esports Championship (IUEC) powered by Dialog Gaming, Gamer.LK’s Mercantile Esports Championship (MEC) powered by Dialog Gaming, Gamer.LK’s Kings of LAN (KOL) and the Gamer.LK Clans Special Force 2 League (GCSF2L) with the winners of the Dialog Gaming League representing Sri Lanka at international tournaments for Special Force 2. 

Moreover, the grand finale of Game Hero, inclusive of a Rs. 3,000,000 prize-pool, the biggest cash prize for a mobile title, will be offered to the winners, will also be conducted at the expo. 

Dialog Axiata PLC Group Chief Operating Officer Dr. Rainer Deutschmann said, “Dialog Gaming takes pride in powering and developing a platform for cyber athletes to compete in titles such as Special Force 2, enabling them to play legitimate esports freely, while standing a chance to represent Sri Lanka at the world stage. With our vision to create the No.1 gaming experience using the fastest and widest network, esports will be the face of the future of sports as we support e-athletes to earn recognition on an international platform.” 

The INGAME Esports South Asia Cup will be held for the first time in Sri Lanka, which is a five-nation esports championship with a Rs. 1,000,000 prize pool. The gaming event organised in association with the Sri Lanka Esports Association (SLESA) will bring together the best teams from South Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives – to compete in the world famous ‘League of Legends’ esports title.

“With the phenomenal growth of esports in Sri Lanka as well as globally, we’re working with the corporate and government sectors to position Sri Lanka as the hub for esports in South Asia. With 11 years of experience promoting esports, Gamer.LK is well positioned to expand into the South Asian scene with a vision to put Sri Lanka on the global esports map. Doing so we expect to promote esports tourism and foreign investment into the country,” commented InGame Entertainment CEO Raveen Wijayatilake.

Other events included in this year’s instalment of the expo are RockFest 2018, the eRacer Championship in association with TopGear and Sri Lanka’s first-ever competitive Mobile Gaming Championship showcasing popular titles such as Clash Royale, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile and Mobile Legends. 

The Play Expo will be held from 7 to 9 December at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre (SLECC). For more information on this event and how to participate, visit http://playexpo.lk.

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