Amer Atoui

KUWAIT: Kuwait Telecommunications Company - stc, a world-class digital leader providing innovative services and platforms to customers, enabling the digital transformation in Kuwait, announced the launch of stc Masters, an online gaming hub that features eSports tournaments for gamers. The initiative is part of a long-term partnership with regional SME, Zawaya Gaming, an award winning eSports event management company, that focuses on showcasing the various talents of online gaming through engaging tournaments.

stc issued a statement highlighting that its partnership with Zawaya Gaming supports the long-term objectives the two companies share in transforming the local gaming scene by utilizing the Kuwait-based simplified event management platform, Zemmz Play. The platform will enable avid gamers to join organized eSports tournaments to showcase their professional skills and talents, while competing for valuable prizes. The newly formed partnership marks stc's first steps into the gaming arena in support of an industry that has gained wide traction and popularity on a global scale.

The tournaments organized under this initiative will provide gamers with a chance to compete for a large prize pool amounting to over $50,000 awarded to winners throughout the season. Gamers interested in participating will compete in four gaming titles held over 16 tournaments, where finalists will battle in the grand tournament taking place in October 2021.

The final tournament will be streamed live for viewers, revealing the ultimate winners of the stc Masters season 1. Following the end of the first season early October, stc Masters will launch a longer and more extensive season that will maintain the same caliber and consistency of challenging local gamers to prove they are the best in Kuwait.

stc Masters' season 1 is open to all gamers in Kuwait through Zemmz play and will consist of a series of tournaments. Online games under Season 1 include the widely popular Battle Royale games PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Call of Duty, licensed by Tencent and Activision. FORTNITE and FIFA 21 tournaments will also be held as approved community events for the first season, prior to forming official tie-ups with Epic Games and EA Sports in the following seasons. For more information on the upcoming seasons, gamers can visit masters.stc.com.kw, a dedicated page on stc's website providing updates and news on the initiative held under stc Masters.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the first season will purely focus on online tournaments with plans in place for live gaming tournaments in the future once the pandemic subsides. When implementing any of its various initiatives, stc ensures that the appropriate guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health regarding social distancing are met to the highest degree. This also comes as a practice that stc enforces within its headquarters, across its branches, and at any external initiatives it participates in to avoid the spread of infection.

Chief Consumer Officer (CCO) of stc, Engineer Amer Atoui, said, "We are proud to introduce the first season of stc Masters in collaboration with the award winning eSports event management company 'Zawaya Gaming'. Through Zemmz Play, we aim to host online tournaments that will elevate the local gaming scene and emerge stc as a regional player in this rapidly growing industry. Our goal through this partnership is to enhance our exposure within this field and provide gamers with an advanced bilingual platform that will reflect our vision of becoming the preferred eSports hub in Kuwait."

He added, "Season 1 of stc Masters is only a steppingstone in our journey within the online gaming industry, as we are already aiming to expand our activities through bigger plans that are already under way. Moving forward, we aim to expand on the concept behind stc Masters and provide gamers with an unrivaled experience backed by pioneering digital and connectivity solutions."

Atoui also mentioned that launching stc Masters falls in line with the Company's commitment to enable digital transformation in Kuwait across various fields and industries. stc's investment in building a strong 5G infrastructure able to provide ultra-high-Internet speeds through a stable network with low latency, can be the ultimate solution for gamers wanting to enjoy a seamless online gaming experience.