By REYNALD MAGALLON
A whopping P1.6 million prize pool is up for grabs for some of the country’s top amateur and collegiate teams across four different titles in the Estudyante Esports: National Championships, Dark League Studios announced on Monday, July 1.
The total cash pot was divided across the four tournaments with P500,000 prize pool each for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, League of Legends and VALORANT competitions and P100,000 for the TEKKEN 8.
“The National Championship is going to take student and youth esports to the next level. Imagine school varsity teams from all over the Philippines competing in a nationwide esports showdown. It’s going to be epic,” said DLS chief executive officer AC Valdenor.
“But what really makes this program special is how it brings schools together. It’s not just about the competition, it’s about giving every school, no matter how big or small, a chance to shine on a national esports stage,” Valdenor added.
Registrations are still open with collegiate esports teams from all over the country already submitting their names for the tournament that will feature separate qualifiers for NCR, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Winners of the qualifiers will then move forward to the National Finals set in an offline setting in September.
The inaugural Estudyante Esports: The National Championships is part of Dark League Studios’ programs and vision to redefine the role of esports within academia aimed at elevating awareness, appreciation and responsible engagement with esports as a campus activity – a goal that is praised by Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann.
“Gathering students from more than a hundred schools and incorporating esports within and beyond the academic curriculum is indeed monumental for the longevity of this program,” said Bachmann in a recent well-attended summit mounted by Dark League Studios at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
