Today at KLIA, we have witnessed the tremendous growth of eSports in Southeast Asia with the partnership of AirAsia and Alisports. AirAsia has come on board as the Official Airline Partner for the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) in Asean. As WESG, known as an international eSports championship tournament by Alisports, the sports branch of Alibaba Group, AirAsia stepping in to become the official Airline Partner further promotes the growth of eSports in the SEA region.

“In terms of eSports enthusiasts, Asean is one of the fastest growing regions in the world with 9.3 million fans, a number expected to grow 36.1% every year through to 2019. As an innovative digital company, we are thrilled to be the title sponsor and to contribute to eSports by supporting Asean’s top professional eSports athletes to compete at the global tournament. We also believe this sponsorship puts us at the forefront of the expansion of eSports across Asean.” said AirAsia Group Berhad Executive Chairman & AirAsia X Group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun

With the sponsorship deal with Agri Mind Sdn Bhd, which includes flights, media value and cash prize, it is in line with the airline’s commitment to support the region’s top talents and reaffirms its effort in digital initiatives including eSports.

“Agri Mind is extremely excited to be partnering with the team of dynamic individuals from Alisports and AirAsia to position WESG as the top eSports tournament in the Asean region. By supporting grassroots development of the regional eSports scenen, we aim to nurture a new generation of world-class players with the skills, tenacity and work ethics to take on the best in the world.” said Chairman of Agri Mind Sdn Bhd Calvin Lau

As the title sponsor, AirAsia’s brand will be integrated across WESG Asean’s digital platforms and tournaments. In addition, the airline will have the opportunity to offer various ancillary products and services at the event including online store and ticketing agent, among others.

“This partnership shows our growing commitment to eSports. In January, we marked our first foray into eSports as a special sponsor and exclusive airline partner of Mineski Pro Team. Two months later, we acquired a mojority stake in Team Saiyan – a top-ranked professional eSports team – which we have rebranded as AirAsia Saiyan. And today, we are proud to be able to bring WESG to Asean as we continue to support the region’s eSports talents.” said AirAsia Allstars Esports Club President Allan Phang

The WESG Asean online registration in each country will commence from 29th June to 31st July 2018. These 10 countries will run its own online tournaments followed by national finals (LAN) from 1st August to 30th September. The Asean Regional Grand Finals will be held in November 2018 and the International Grand Finals will be held in March 2019. Participants may register at their official WESG site.

“WESG has drawn a lot of attention worldwide in the past two years. It is a great honour to have a new premium partner Airasia to support WESG in the new 2018-2019 season. AirAsia has always been supoortive of traditional sports and has now started a new chapter to be part of eSports with Alisports’ WESG. We look forward to the WESG in Asean division with our new partner AirAsia.” said Alisports Founder and CEO Zhang Dazhong

World Electronic Sports Game (WESG)
2018-2019 Season

WESG Official Titles:

1. Dota 2 (General Group)
2. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (General Group & Women Group)
3. Hearthstone (General Group & Women Group)
4. StarCraft II (General Group)
5. Vainglory (General Group)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer (General Group)

Total available prize pool:

Total available prize pool for WESG 2018-2019 is $5,500,000

Timeline:

a. June 2018 – September 2018: China Qualifiers

b. August 2018 – December 2018: Overseas Qualifiers

c. October 2018: China Final

d. Q1 or 2019: Grand Final

Qualification Format:

National Qualifiers – National Finals – (Regional Finals – wherever required) – Grand Finals

Offline Event:

WESG 2018-2019 will cover 38 countries/regions (compared to last year’s 14), major offline regions include but not limit to China, Japan, USA, Canada, Russia, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Slots to Grand Final:

1. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (General Group: 36; Women Group: 8)
2. Dota 2 (General Group: 24)
3. Hearthstone (General Group: 48; Women Group: 8)
4. StarCraft II (General Group: 48)
5. Vainglory (General Group: 8)
6. Pro Evolution Soccer (General Group: 16)