THEY CAN, AND PROBABLY WILL TAKE OVER THE CAPE TOWN SHOWDOWN

The Tekken World Tour announced its expansion strategy to newer communities across the globe and the greatest news for Africa was the announcement of the Cape Town Showdown scheduled for September this year.

The tournament will see many African Tekken players converge in South Africa this year for a great eSport event in the region. The Tekken communities in Africa have been vibrant with many local tournaments organized in many parts of Africa.

With this, we want to focus on the Kenyan scene that has been vibrant with a strong community, well-organized tournaments and online presence. The Tekken 254 Circuit is currently in its third season, the season was restructured to have six Qualifiers and one major where 16 of the best 24 (Premier Division) will qualify for the Savanna Majors set for August.  The Circuit planned to get new members by launching a second tier called the Challenger Division which currently has 11 active members. The Circuit, with a Pro-Rel (promotion-relegation) format, will see the bottom four in the Premier Division play against the top four in the Challenger Division for spots in the Premier Division for Season Four.

The Circuit has given the community an avenue to practice and plays in monthly tournaments that have improved gameplay, character knowledge and confidence in tournaments. The community’s online groups have also been an avenue to discuss matchups, character moves, strength and this has improved the gameplay of many players.

Some of the Circuit’s players participated in an Online Cities Battle against players from Durban, South Africa in December 2018. In a first-to-two, five v. five takedown format, the Nairobi team managed to win 5-2 in both rounds.

DVK, AP | Mickey and XiT | QueenArrow have all shown an interest in taking part in this great fighting game event set for September. XiT Woundz, an eSport organization managing Sylvia “QueenArrow” Gathoni, has confirmed her participation. Will the Kenyan representatives manage Top 8 entry? Yes, they will.

Cape Town Showdown 7 will be held at the Radisson Red Cape Town on 7th-8th September this year.

ACE PRO GAMING SET TO LAUNCH AN APPAREL DIVISION.

In a bid to further expand its reach into the Kenyan market, Ace Pro is set to launch an Apparel Division called “Ace Apparels” to steer professionalism in the Esports and wider sports market. The new division signals Ace Pro expansion looking to professionalize and uniform Esports and other sports players in Kenya.

Ace Apparels is set to launch at a later date in the fall of this year targeting Esports (competitive video gamers), Leisure market (Athle-Leisure), sports disciplines and other markets that we will announce later. “The expansion signals a different investment that seeks to create a self-sustaining and self-reliant e-Lig University Series and Tekken254 Circuit,” says Fanuel O. O

The apparel division is looking to tap into the local Kenyan series of tournaments held in the city by dressing various players and professionalizing the industry. Ace Apparels also wants to expand business models for various Esport organizations operating in Kenya.

Ace Pro Gaming will also launch its original content as part of its plans in growing the local industry. More info will be released soon.

THE CHECK | TEAM ALPHA ORGANIZATION DISPLACES HORIZON FROM THE TOP

A bad performance by Joel and Yobra slowed down the Horizon organization quest to dominate the e-Lig standings after weekend two. Joel who finished fourth at the weekend opener tourney bagging him 21 points did not even qualify for the top two spots. Joel placed in conference D for weekend two had a rough day playing in a conference that had Yardie (KU), donuts (JKUAT), and Kamal (Strathmore), Bari Maina and Steve. Joel finished 5th in this conference and secured 17th-20th playoff position that only earned him 7points.

On the other side, Team Alpha players, GeeMajid and Kamal had a great day during weekend two steering the organization to sit top of the standings. GeeMajid reached the final where he lost and only bagged himself 23 points, while Kamal finished 5th.

The e-Lig University series moves into its third and final tournament run for the pilot season and will be back for season one. The e-Lig sought to create organizations and teams based on franchising University sides to compete against each other. The series was also seeking to tap into the many competitive FIFA communities existing in various institutions.

The third tournament of the series will be on March 16th 2019 and at a venue we will communicate.

THE CHECK | THE RISE OF ESPORT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE KENYAN COMPETITIVE GAMING SPACE

The Tekken254 Circuit in its third season continues to grow in terms of participation, partnerships and also tournaments. The circuit birthed in 2017 has seen numbers grow from 19 players to a current 36 registered players in the community.  With well-organized tournaments, the circuit is seeing the growth of teams known in the competitive gaming industry as Esport Organization.

AlphaPlay Kenya signed three players in the circuit namely Michael “Mickey’ Muhoro, Anthony “Tony” Claesen and William “Priest” Omondi. The organization continues to tap into the growing industry not only in Kenya but the African region.

Another organization that wrecked news across the community was the signing of Sylvia “Queen Arrow” Wahome by the XiT Woundz based in New Jersey. The organization has players playing in different Esports such as Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and Smash. The organization also spreads its talents across different continents such as North America (Canada & USA), Africa (Kenya), South America (Venezuela), and Europe (France, Poland and Germany).

Esport Organizations in Kenya are helping cement the industry in creating financing models for players that have enabled many enter various tournaments both online and offline, they have also helped professionalize the industry with great apparels, business models, salaries, and purchases of the games (DLCs).

Ace Pro Gaming second tournament dubbed the “e-Lig University FIFA19 Series” is meant to franchise Esport Organizations based on University sides. There are currently 6 Universities (each having 4 players) playing in the e-Lig having four players. The pilot series seeks to grow FIFA which is arguably the biggest game played by many Kenyans both casually and competitively.

The future of the e-Lig is aligning the series with the current growth of the FIFA electronic World Cup that was rebranded from the Interactive last year 2018. The e-Lig also seeks to tap the many students’ communities from various Universities in Kenya. We seek to further tap into newer communities of Varsities sides especially from outside Nairobi expanding the participation.

A huge shout out to all Esports Organizations in Kenya

  • XiT Woundz
  • AlphaPlay Kenya
  • Masters of Mayhem
  • Simba Ultimate
  • Rampage Corps
  • Overhaul

And many more not mentioned. Let us strive to grow the industry and also rightfully support the signed players.

ON THE FOCUS |HORIZON ORGANIZATION MAKE ONE CHANGE AHEAD OF THE e-LIG FIFA19 SERIES WEEKEND TWO.

Horizon Organization, a University of Nairobi based FIFA19 team will go into Weekend Two knowing they have to defend their aggregate win as they did in the first Qualifier. The team currently sits top in the logs with 69 aggregate points. Joel led the team delivering 21 points during the Weekend Opener. Joel fell (5-4) on aggregate against Mount Kenya University Peter “Flossin Mauwano” Mumu during the opening weekend held at Kenyatta University. Horizon Organization manager Collins Oyindo made a change this week replacing Pablo with Elias Beast. The new player will play in Conference A which looks to be the group of death with heavyweight players such as e-Lig Weekend Opener winner and Mount Kenya University player Peter Mumu, Technical University of Kenya Epsilon Malvin, #Mo (Strathmore University), Max Murila from Kenyatta University and WekaMbali from (JKUAT). NEW RIVALRY Mauwano Organization Peter Mumu will open up a new rivalry with University of Nairobi Elias Beast who is considered to be a great player. They met this past weekend at a FIFA19 tournament held at KCB Sports Club where Peter Mumu narrowly won. We look forward to catching this matchup this coming Saturday.

KENYATTA UNIVERSITY TO HOST WEEKEND TWO OF THE e-LIG FIFA19 UNIVERSITY SERIES.

Kenyatta University will once again host the e-Lig series weekend two scheduled for 2nd March. The prestigious institution also plays host to one of the six organizations playing in the series called Horsemen Organization.

Horsemen Organization will again be playing to their home crowd this weekend and they hope they will perform better than the weekend opener. Horsemen Organizations sit bottom of the log with 22 points. Jumia Gaming tournament winner Phillip “Yardie” Kimani leads the organization with 4-3 Win-Loss record followed by Winchester (2-1-4), Max Murila (1-0-6) and Bruno “GrimReeper” Sorre (2-5). The home team will have to improve going into weekend two as other organizations seek to dominate this coming weekend.

Follow the table for full rankings:

Kenyatta University with a vibrant FIFA community playing both online and at various gaming lounges in its environs such as Kahawa Sukari, Kahawa Wendani offers a unique spot for FIFA competitions. The huge population also plays a big role in the series by attracting spectators for this great series.

Kenyatta University Business & Students’ Service where the competitions will be held has a sitting capacity of up to 250 people giving it a fabulous location for the event. The centre also offers great amenities such as eating spaces, restaurants banks and conference halls for students and visitors to access. We welcome you all to come to enjoy great music from Homeboyz Esports and fabulous University rivalry competition.

e-LIG University FIFA19 Series

March 2nd 2019 Kenyatta University Business & Students’ Service Centre 014

On the Focus | We take a look into the future of the e-Lig Series

The e-Lig University Series kicked off on the 29th of January in a three-legged series for its pilot season zero. The event was held at Kenyatta University Business & Service Centre that saw 24 participants enter for the Open series while only 6 entered for the All-Women division.

The e-Lig University series was birthed to help grow competitive side of FIFA in Kenya most especially in Universities which holds up to 90% of competitors in most of the events held in Kenya. The pilot season was to introduce the competition and showcase what Ace Pro has in store for the future as Esports continues to grow globally. The FIFA competitive global market is steadily growing with many licensed qualifying events held globally especially in U.K, Australia and the United States attracting millions of competitors.

The FIFA Electronic World Cup has so far since attracted many qualifying events such as electronic Major League Soccer (USA), electronic Premier League (U.K), E-League (U.S.A), E-League (Hyundai A-League Australia), GFinity FIFA Series and many more of LQE (Licensed Qualifying Events).

The e-Lig University series seeks to encourage more competitive Kenyan FIFA Players to compete highly in franchises based on University institutions. The series pilot season showcased the future of the competition set to come.

FUT MODE

The e-Lig University series will see FUT Mode being used for its season one set to commence in September this year. Players are encouraged to get well versed with the mode and build in their squads for the season to come. All international events use the FUT Mode and positioning the e-Lig University series for international events will need the series to go into the use of FUT Mode.

PARTICIPATION

The e-Lig series currently has 6 franchises from 6 Universities that registered to take part in the competition for its pilot season. Each Institution sent 5 players totalling to 24 participants for the Open series and 6 participants for the All-Female series. The next season will see a reduction of players but an increase of institution taking part in the series. We plan to increase the number of participating institutions to tap into newer markets of competitive FIFA playing communities.

The e-Lig University series moves into its week two with Peter Mumu holding top position and Kevin Omondi coming in second. Here is a full table after the weekend opener.

Horizon Organization sit top of the log after the first leg of the e-Lig University series.

Horizon sit top of the log after the weekend opener held at Kenyatta University Business & Student Service Centre. Horizon Organization had players finishing 4th, 5th, 7th and 15th where they earner 21,20,18 and 10 points respectively to total up to a 69 points lead against all other five registered organizations.

Joel helped lead the way for the University of Nairobi students with 21 points finishing the weekend opener with a 5-2-3 record. Other notable players in this organization were Zack who finished one place behind Joel with a 7-0-2 record having being beaten in the quarter-final by Peter Mumu whereas Yobra who finished 7th place with a 6-2-1 record and Pablo who finished week one at 15th place with a 2-2-3 record.

Team Alpha sits at second place with 64 points just 5 points behind the leaders Horizon Organization. GeeMajid leads the team with 22 points finishing 3rd place. Kamal contributed 19 points to the team, Rockie pulled in 14 points and #Mo with 9 points.

Kevo CKs team from TUK (A-Team) sits third in the log with 55 points. Kevo CK raked in 23 points for his team, Steve pulled in 16points, KingSlayer brought in 15 points whereas Epsilon Malvin was a no show in the weekend opener giving out walkovers and finishing with only 1 point.

Mauwano Organization led by the e-Lig weekend opener winner Peter Mumu sit fourth place with 52 points, JKUATs team Elite Organization is at fifth place with 38points whereas the weekend opener tournament hosts Horsemen sit bottom with only 22points.

The series takes a break and will be back in February at a location we will communicate soon.

The Check | Inside e-Lig series points awarding system

The e-Lig University Series kicked off last weekend with 24 players competing in the Open series and only three ladies taking part in the All-Ladies competition.

The e-Lig series is a competition involving six University teams with each University bringing in 4 participants (Open series) and 1 participant (All-Ladies series). The competition is divided into four conferences with each University presenting a player in each of the conference.

PLAY-OFFS

The e-Lig series sees top two in each conference qualify for the quarterfinals whereas each position finish from each conference moves straight for position playoff. For example, if player A finishes 3rd in Conference A, he or she will meet all players who finished position 3 in each of the conferences to play for ranking positions (9th – 12th). This goes on for all other group stage position.

Position 1-2 in each conference qualify for main cup quarterfinals

Position 3 in each conference qualify for (9th-12th) playoffs

Position 4 in each conference qualify for (13th-16th) playoffs

Position 5 in each of the conference qualify for (17th-20th) playoffs

Position 6 in each of the conference qualify for (21st-24th) playoffs

POINTS AWARDING SYSTEM

The e-Lig University series uses a reverse point ranking system where the total number of players represents the amount of total points gained in each of the series tournament. The e-Lig series has 24 participants and thus the winner of the tournament gets 24 points whereas the last placed player gets 1 point.

Horsemen Organization to host the first leg of the e-Lig FIFA19 University series set for the weekend.

Bruno “GrimReeper” Sorre and his Horsemen Organization crew will host the first leg of the e-Lig University Series at the Kenyatta University Business & Student Service Centre room 012 this coming weekend.

The e-Lig University series will see six different University FIFA Communities compete for glory for its first pilot season. The series has 30 participants split into two competitions that is, an Open competition and the All-female league.

CONFERENCE A

e-Lig weekend opener hosts GrimReeper will face Zack (University of Nairobi), Kevo CK (TUK), Ghost (JKUAT), Rio (MKU), Kitoto (Strathmore University)

CONFERENCE B

Peter “Flossin Mauwano” Mumu is the man to watch in this conference. The Mauwano organization leader will meet off with Winchester (KU), Yobra (UON), Osnet (JKUAT), Tosh (TUK), #Mo (Strathmore University).

CONFERENCE C

Jumia Gaming tournament winner Phillip “Yardie” Kimani will headline this conference but will meet a much able competitor Malvin (TUK). The will be joined by ju88oi (MKU), Joel (UON), donuts (JKUAT), GeeMajid (Strathmore University)

CONFERENCE D

Max Murila from Horsemen Organization (KU) will face off Soka (MKU), Pablo (UON), Wekambali (JKUAT), KingSlayer (TUK), Kamal (Strathmore University)

The Open series is split in four conferences that will have 6 participants from each of the six Universities registered. Top 2 from each of the conferences will proceed for quarter-finals whereas the position finish of each of the conferences will go for playoffs.

  • 3rd place finishers in each of the conference proceed for (9-12) position playoff
  • 4th place finishers in each of the conference proceed for (13-16) position playoff
  • 5th place finishers in each of the conference proceed for (17-20) position playoff
  • 6th place finishers in each of the conference proceed for (21-24) position playoff

The All-female series has six ladies from each of the registered University and will play using a round robin format.

At Ace Pro, we want to guarantee more engagement amongst players, increased competition in the series and also better chances for progress per individual competing. The format we are using will help achieve all these as we look to grow the e-Lig series to a more standardized FIFA tournament.

We welcome you all to come watch the e-Lig series 2019 at Kenyatta University Business & Students’ Service Centre room 012.