The Dubai Esports Festival (DEF2022), hosted by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) in partnership with VSPN, a global leader in esports activities and solutions, and presenting partner, du launched school and regional tournaments with the intention of developing the esports community across the region on a grassroots level.
In collaboration with global gaming titles including Minecraft for the Dubai School Tournament and Honor of Kings for the Regional Tournament, Dubai Esports Festival provided a platform for regional esports competitors and youth gamers to show off their skills and win prizes worth up to USD25,000/AED90,000.
School Tournament: Minecraft Esports Schools Clash
DEF2022 launched the official Minecraft Esports Schools Clash (MESC2022) tournament for the first time in the region, and after several weeks of qualifiers, four Dubai-based school teams made it to the finals and competed live on stage during GameExpo. At the live finals Team Emerald from GEMS Wellington Silicon Oasis School were crowned tournament champions and team Modern Minecrafters from GEMS Modern Academy finished second.
With the aim of empowering primary school children through esports the tournament enabled students to creatively learn strategy, teamwork, communication and leadership as part of the experience. In addition, this initiative helps encourage students in the UAE to consider programming and coding as part of their studies through Minecraft Education. The tournament took place from 24th October until 10th November and saw over 600 participating students from across 12 schools in Dubai.
Regional Tournament – Online Tournament Organized by Gamers HUB ME
Powered by Gamers Hub Media Events and sponsored by MORRGOX & AOC Gaming the regional online tournaments took place between 31st Oct to 9th November with a prize pool of AED22,000 as players competed across a range of popular game titles – Fortnite, Brawl Stars, FIFA23, Valorant and Rocket League across multiple platforms. Nearly 1,800 gamers registered to compete during the exciting online tournaments, which were live-streamed for fans to watch.
The UAE-based Gamers Hub Media Events (GHME) was established in the UAE with a growing team of gamers, enthusiasts and industry leaders that hold strong knowledge and understanding of the sector along with a joint desire to increase awareness and take the gaming scene to new heights.
Regional Tournament – Mobile: Honor of Kings Regional Tournament
The Honor of Kings Regional Tournament, hosted by Dubai Esports Festival 2022 and supported by the game’s publisher, Tencent, took place over two days and saw RTG Esports being crowned tournament champions and NASR Esports coming in second place.
The first Honor of Kings LAN tournament in Dubai saw over nine of the region’s best esports teams participate on 12th to 13th November during GameExpo for a chance to win from a prize pool worth USD25,000.
DEF2022 brings together leading gamers, esports thought leaders and pop culture enthusiasts from across the world. Taking place from 9th to 20th November, the festival features an exciting lineup of live events, entertainment and pop culture activities as well as retail promotions across two weeks.
For more information about DEF2022 please visit www.dubaiesportsfestival.com.
