Philippine Pro Gaming League braces for busy esports summer

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Pro Gaming League (PPGL) is warming up for an exciting summer in esports as they host the official national tournaments for Valorant and League of Legends: WildRift.

Valorant players will have another chance to represent the Philippines in this year’s Valorant SEA Challengers Final at the Valorant Challengers Philippines Stage 2. Registration for Week 1 has been extended until March 24 while Week 1 registration is open until April 6.

Stage 2 follows a new global format rolled out by game developer Riot Games leading to the first global LAN event for Masters happening in May. 

The second stage will now feature two (2) open qualifiers and three (3) knockout playoffs taking place over five weeks to determine the two best teams representing the country in the SEA Challengers Final, an all-online regional tournament. 

Teams from Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong-Taiwan and Malaysia-Singapore will play for the right to represent the entire Southeast Asian region in the Masters Stage 2 event which will be taking place in Reykjavík, Iceland.

After an action packed preseason weekend with Nexplay Esports emerging as champions after sweeping Sunsparks, the Wild Rift SEA Icon Series Philippines is gearing up to start their Summer Season. 

Each season will have four open leagues divided by regions (North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao).

“We are honored to bring one of the much-awaited tournaments in the country, Wild Rift Icon Series 2021, that paves way for us to help grow the Philippine esports industry and cultivate existing pro-gamers and new talents. Watch out for OPPO’s announcements and activities, as we have special surprises for all the Filipino mobile gaming fans and communities in the coming days supporting the biggest tournament,” said OPPO Philippines Marketing Director Raymond Xia.

Registration for the Summer Season starts with North Luzon Open on March 22, followed by South Luzon Open on March 29, and Visayas and Mindanao Opens on April 12.

Wild Rift SEA Icon Series Philippines will adopt a point system, the first time this will be implemented for a mobile game.

"We are very excited about the upcoming Preseason of the Wild Rift SEA Icon Series in the Philippines. This tournament will showcase the best of the best when it comes to playing Wild Rift. We are also introducing a point system called ‘The Globe Cup’. A system where teams earn corresponding points depending on their placing during the different legs of the tournament.” said DC Dominguez, Head of Globe Games and Esports.

Teams advancing to the group stages per open will win points for every series won. 

Points are then redeemable for an equivalent cash prize at the end of each season. There will be a total of Php5,000,000 for each season on the line. (A total of Php3,600,000 will be distributed to the teams during the group stages. 

Teams will also receive 100,000 points for every series won, totaling PhP1,400,000.)

Moreover, the top two teams from each regional open will advance to the national playoffs where they will compete to become the best in the country. 

The top four teams with the highest points will have direct slots to participate in Fall Season's group stages.

Both the Valorant Challengers Stage 2 and Wild Rift SEA Icon Series: Summer Season in the Philippines will be held as all-online tournaments in line with safety measures currently being observed due to the pandemic.

Registration is free and open to all aspiring pro teams in the country. All updates for registrations and broadcasts will be found in the official channels of PPGL.