Genting, January 12, 2017 – ESL, the world’s largest esports company, brought in the new year with thousands of fans at ESL One Genting 2017 from January 6-8. The top eight Dota 2 teams traveled to the Arena of the Stars in Resorts World Genting, Malaysia to battle for a share of the US$250,000 prize pool in a stadium full of 5,000 visitors each day. In the end it was Digital Chaos (DC) who went home with the coveted ESL One trophy and the first place prize of US$125,000.
ESL One Genting 2017 marks ESL’s first event in Malaysia and second stadium event in Southeast Asia within the past year, with ESL One Manilla 2016 bringing 16,000 people to the Mall of Asia in April 2016. ESL One’s Malaysian stop solidifies the company’s commitment to expanding operations in Southeast Asia. The event experience included not only top-tier Dota 2 competition, but also hundreds of side activities including stores, local food delicacies, arcade halls and many more experiences within the Resorts World Genting. In addition to the live audience, more than 11,400,000 unique viewers tuned in to watch over 4,500,000 hours of ESL One Genting content online.
“After ESL One Genting 2017 we at ESL are once again humbled by the passion and commitment from Dota 2 fans in Southeast Asia,” said Ulrich Schulze, VP of Pro Gaming at ESL. “In cooperation with Resorts World Genting and our local partner Mineski we were able to successfully showcase legendary gameplay in the context of an amazing event experience to millions of viewers around the world.”
“Being a part of esports with ESL and kicking it off in the first weekend of January was one of the best decision we made,” said Kevin Tann, Vice President of Promotions & Entertainment of Resorts World Genting. “The crowd was awesome, the energy was addictive and the atmosphere during the three days was intense in a very positive way. Resorts World Genting certainly looks forward to further collaboration to bring esports in Malaysia to greater heights.”
For more information about ESL One, visit the official tournament website, and be sure to check out the video footage on our YouTube channel. Photos and graphics for editorial use can be found in the ESL One Genting press kit.