By John Bryan Ulanday
NATIONAL esports team backer Smart Communications, Inc., further bolstered its mission for the country’s esports promotion and development with the launch of GIGA Arena.
Registration started on Wednesday for the historic GIGA Arena as the first all-in-one esports platform in the Philippines aimed at serving as a training ground for future world-class players.
Through Giga Arena on gigarena.smart, all TnT and Smart customers will enjoy an exclusive battlefield to compete with other players in daily, weekly and monthly tournaments with prestige and cash prizes also at stake on top of their training and development.
GIGA Arena is Smart’s newest innovation in the booming esports movement after its full backing to Sibol, the national esports squad, for their campaign in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
Featured in GIGA Arena are popular online games Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Wild Rift and PUBG Mobile, which are among the eight SEA Games esports titles in Hanoi in May.
Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) is also in the GIGA Arena fray though it’s not included in the SEA Games esports event that the Philippines is eyeing to rule anew after winning the inaugural edition in 2019.
Aside from GIGA Arena and Sibol, Smart is also supporting leagues like The Nationals, Liga Adarna and MLBB Pro League-Philippines (MPL-PH) with mobile game developer Moonton.
GIGA Arena, in partnership with global esports company LEET Entertainment, is powered by Smart’s 5G network recognized by Ookla, the global leader in mobile and broadband intelligence, as the country’s fastest mobile network.
“Through GIGA Arena, we are giving mobile gamers a venue to showcase their skills and talents, which many of them devote time and effort to hone. This is aligned with our commitment to enable our subscribers to pursue their passions and live the Giga Life,” said Jane J. Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.