Since April, players from across Mzansi have been facing off in the SHIFT Gaming Experience, hosted by MTN and Hyprop. Now, with only three qualifying stages left, the pressure is on to score one of the last few spots left in the finale.
Between 14 July and 26 August, gamers in Gauteng and the Western Cape will be battling it out during the following rounds for a shot at progressing to the ultimate e-sports showdown on 27 August at Canal Walk.
* Clearwater Mall (Gauteng): In-centre event 14 – 16 July
* Capegate Mall (Western Cape): Online qualifier 23 July and in-centre event 28 – 30 July
* Canal Walk (Western Cape): Online qualifier 13 August and in-centre event 23 – 27 August
So far, 16 semi-finalists have emerged from the national preliminaries that have taken place at Somerset Mall, Rosebank Mall, Woodlands Shopping Complex and The Glen Shopping Centre.
“To date, the tournament has been a roaring success, with thousands of gamers, supporters and spectators visiting these shopping centres to be part of the experience. Our aim is to create spaces and connect people and what better way than with e-sports – one of the fastest growing sports both locally and globally,” says Riegardt Marais, Hyprop’s head of retail marketing.
With a R35 000 prize pool for the winner and runners-up, its unsurprising that most of the excitement has centred around the Football Tournament, played on FIFA 23. There are also side-competitions ranging from F1 and Fortnite, to fighting games and Minecraft, with F1 emerging as a favourite.
“From noobs to pros, there is something for everyone at the SHIFT Gaming Experience. Plus, it’s a fun way to beat load shedding-induced boredom,” concludes Marais.