Dubai, UAE: Riot Games MENA has partnered with Intel and Lenovo to bring a long awaited tournament road map to the Middle East and North Africa. The Intel Arabian Cup (IAC) will be another step in the commitment made by Riot Games MENA to shape the gaming industry and develop the talent around its most popular title League of Legends.
IAC will bring a year-long tournament to thirteen countries in the MENA region, divided into two seasons culminating with an event to crown one regional champion. This comes months after the inaugural “Nexus” event that was held in Saudi Arabia late 2019, seeing more than 4,000 players participate in a 28 day journey.
Ali Muslumanoglu, the newly appointed MENA General Manager at Riot Games said: “We want to establish our presence in the region and deliver the best possible player experience we can. Our decision to partner with Intel and Lenovo is linked to the fact that we all share the same core values. We want to engage with the community and help grow the region. The MENA region has a pool of talent and it is about time we shine the light on them.”
IAC is set to start on the 29nd of May, with Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Season 1 will see these thirteen countries compete in their own four months independent league, crowning national champions who will then compete for the regional championship during Season two. All thirteen leagues will be held concurrently and broadcasted every weekend on the League of Legends Arabia Twitch channel.
A prize pool of $ 130,000 has been allocated for Season One, to be divided equally amongst the 13 participating countries. Each country will reward their top three teams.
IAC registration will open this week and players will have time to register and form their teams till the 28th of May. The first game will be broadcasted on the 29th of May at 09:00PM KSA time.
Ali Riza Kucuk, Regional Consumer Director at Intel, IAC’s official partner added: “Intel continues to deliver world class performance and technology for gamers with 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processors across desktops and laptops to enable every gaming experience. The partnership with Riot Games and Lenovo to develop this multinational tournament across 13 Arab nations creates an opportunity to unlock talent, connect the community and develop a new level of professional gaming in MENA. This is the start of a journey and we will be working with our partners to continue growing esports and gaming the region over the coming years.”
Besides promoting esports as a spectator sport, the Intel Arabian Cup is aiming to entertain and bring together all gamers to rally their nation and dominate the region.
Shashank Sharma, Executive Director & General Manager for the META region at Lenovo, IAC’s OEM partner said: “Over the past few years, we have continued to witness the gaming industry grow at rapid pace across MENA. Working with partners and industry leaders such as Riot Games and Intel is essential in ensuring that local players are not only represented, but also have the same opportunities as their global counterparts, to socialize and compete on a large scale. We are proud to provide the competing players with our latest line up of Legion PCs and accessories, designed for ultimate audio-visual gaming immersion. We are confident that the Intel Arabian Cup will result in a positive outcome for our region and hope that this is the first of many tournaments, in which nations come together to share their passion for gaming.”
About Riot Games
Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends, to worldwide acclaim. League has gone on to be the most-played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports.
As League enters its second decade, Riot continues to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and multiple work-in-progress titles. Riot is also building the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects across music, comic books, board games, and the upcoming animated series Arcane.
Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, and led by CEO Nicolo Laurent, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 2,500+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide.
© Press Release 2020
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
