HotShotz qualifier “awesome” says APU CEO
By Anushia Kandasivam May 13, 2017
- APU shows great support for HotShotz, invests 6-figure sum to upgrade facilities
- Shoutcaster JandaHunter sees some potential pro players unearthed at SF5
THE third university qualifier of DNA’s HotShotz eGames Festival at Asia Pacific University’s (APU) brand new world-class campus got off to a rousing start on May 13, with about 200 gamers and fans making for an energetic atmosphere. “It’s an awesome, super tournament. We don’t do things small,” declared APIIT Education Group CEO Dr Parmjit Singh who dropped by in the afternoon to check out the action.
Backing his words with action, APU, which boasts the first esports academy in the country – eSports Malaysia Academy – showed considerable support for HotShotz by spending a six-figure amount to upgrade its facilities at the foyer area in preparation for the tournament.
Parmjit had previously stated that APU sees a natural synergy with the Hotzhotz eGames Festival.
Gamers at the qualifier were well equipped with 25 PS4 consoles and 30 Acer gaming machines, mostly from its hot Predator line. Gamers who got through the online qualifier on 7 May competed at the offline qualifier today, battling it out to get to the finals, which will be held during the HotShotz eGames Festival from July 22-23 to be hosted by KDU University College at its main campus at Glenmarie, Shah Alam.
The Hotshotz tournament features six games; each had a fair amount of players at the third qualifier – 14 teams for DOTA2, 13 teams for CS:GO, five teams for Overwatch, four teams for COD:IW, 30 players for PES 2017 (Winning Eleven) and 23 players for Street Fighter 5.
A team from APU, APKz, took full advantage of their home ground advantage by winning third place in the Overwatch qualifier despite this being their debut tournament. Naturally, the team was extremely pleased to be in the up-coming finals. “It feels great and boosted our confidence because we only used to play amongst each other. This qualifier was well organised and fun. We can’t wait for the final,” says team spokesperson Muhammad Ibrahim Qadri.
The team comprises six university students from five countries – Jordan, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan and the Maldives. Five are students at Asia Pacific University and one is a student at TOC Automotive College.
The two other Overwatch teams from the third qualifiers heading to the finals are NotMBT, who won 2nd place, and Garambae, who was champion.
Street Fighter 5 (SF5) shoutcaster JandaHunter (pic, right) felt that today’s SF5 competition saw some very hyped gaming. “Some potential pro players were unearthed today. It was a very good competition.” Gamer
Raihan, a masters’ candidate at APU, was champion at this qualifier and will go to the finals.
Some other winners on the day were Dreamteam|Shukry (PES) and Anthrax Esports (CS:GO).
Aside from the eSports component, HotShotz, as an eGames festival, consists of:
- Games publishers showcase
- PC Modding
- Indie Games Showcase
- Cosplay competition
Tournament sponsor Digi was present at the qualifier and gave away its Digi Prepaid Live pack which comes with 10 GB worth of data for video and music streaming for gamers to enjoy. Digi will again be offering tempting goodies at the next qualifier on July 1, which will be held at KDU University College.
[Correction: An earlier version incorrectly described the Digi give-away.]
Registration for the fourth qualifier is open via the website and the FB page. Fans can drop by the qualifier between 11am and 6pm to check out the action and play some games at the free-to-play zone.
Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch (SIES), Acer, through its gaming machine brand, Predator and Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) are sponsors of HotShotz with Astro as the Media Partner and KDU University College as the finals Venue Host. Joining them as a HotShotz sponsor/partner is Armeggeddon, a new player in gaming peripherals that is our Official Peripherals Support.
Watch out for further information on HotShotz as we gear up to selling tickets for the eGames Festival soon.
Related stories:
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Logitech tries to woo pro eSports players with new devices
HotShotz 2017 kicks off with almost 200 gamers at UM qualifiers
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