There is no reason for the growth of Esports to slow down in the Philippines, especially now that ONE Championship has entered the scene.
On October 5 and 6, The Home Of Martial Arts celebrates Esports in the week-long lead-up to ONE: Century in Tokyo, Japan, with the ONE Tekken Tokyo Invitational and the ONE Street Fighter V Arcade Edition Tokyo.
For Ralph Llabres, the coach of Southeast Asian team Bren Esports, ONE’s entry will only boost the industry in the Philippines.
“The fact that ONE made its entry in this industry is a huge thing. Filipinos are already accustomed to ONE – that’s because of the recent success of our athletes in it,” Llabres said.
“From Brandon Vera to Team Lakay, you can really feel the influence of ONE in the Philippines. If we produce a champion in the first tournament of ONE, I feel like Esports will be exploding more.”
Despite the number of millennials that follow Esports, Llabres believes that the sport still has a long way to go in the Philippines before it matches the popularity of traditional sports.
“For me, Esports is still in its infancy here in the Philippines. It’s only beginning to boom. I feel like it will take years until it matures, until we produce a recognizable figure in the sport,” Llabres explained.
“Before, we had household names in the [Philippine Basketball Association], we had Efren Reyes, and then Manny Pacquiao. Once we produce champions, only then will it start to open up.”
With ONE now aggressively moving into the industry, he expects it to open up soon.
“ONE will play a very huge role in [Esports] because they command such respect.”
After Tokyo, ONE will then hold their first DOTA event with ONE DOTA 2 World Pro Invitational from 20 to 22 December at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Powerhouses such as PSG.LGD and Team Secret have already thrown their hat in the tournament that will offer $500,000 in prize money.
On October 13, The Home Of Martial Arts brings fans 28 World Champions, four World Title bouts, three World Grand Prix Championship Finals, and four World Champion versus World Champion match-ups in the historic ONE: CENTURY at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
Download the ONE Super App to catch the action live and for free.
Read More From ONE Championship:
ONE Esports Officially Launches Asia’s Largest Esports World Championship Series
ONE Martial Arts Fan Fest Official Schedule Announced
ONE Street Fighter Tokyo Challenge To Feature The Strongest Asia SFV:AE Pros
