The MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience, now in its second year, it is the largest national mall-based gaming tournament to be held in South Africa.
The event will feature a series of eight qualifier events held at Hyprop Malls across the nation over the next four months, culminating in a National Final taking place at Canal Walk in Cape Town this September.
Christie Stanbridge, Hyprop’s brand and campaigns marketing manager, says: “The goal of our national gaming tournament is to create a vehicle for making esports accessible to everyone, breaking down barriers and removing the stigma that gaming is only for a certain age group. We aim to ensure that people from all walks of life can come together to play games and participate in the thrilling world of esports.”
Jason Probert, GM: digital services at MTN South Africa, adds: “We are thrilled to partner with Hyprop to bring this tournament to life. This event is a testament to the growing gaming culture in South Africa, and we are proud to support an initiative that not only showcases incredible talent but also brings communities together through the power of gaming. MTN is committed to driving digital innovation and creating unique experiences for gamers across the country.”
For the second MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience, EA FC 24TM is the title to be played throughout the main events. To earn a place as one of the top four in the Mall Finals, players will battled it out on the ACGL platform.
Players can sign up at the various Hyprop Malls to participate in one of the seven heats held from Friday to Sunday. The top four players from each heat will move on to the Mall Final, joining the four online qualifiers.
There are a select number of mall heats dedicated to scholars this year to ensure that esport schools are represented.
| Somerset Mall Online Qualifier | 9-Jun |
| Somerset Mall Event | 14 to 16 Jun |
| Rosebank Mall Online Qualifier | 16-Jun |
| Rosebank Mall Event | 21 to 23 Jun |
| The Glen Online Qualifier | 23-Jun |
| The Glen Event | 28 to 30 Jun |
| Clearwater Mall Online Qualifier | 7-Jul |
| Clearwater Mall WM Event | 12 to 14 Jul |
| Woodlands Boulevard Online Qualifier | 14-Jul |
| Woodlands Boulevard Event | 19 to 21 Jul |
| Table Bay Mall Online Qualifier | 4-Aug |
| Table Bay Mall Event | 9 to 11 Aug |
| Capegate Online Qualifier | 18-Aug |
| Capegate Event | 23 to 25 Aug |
| Canal Walk Online Qualifier | 8-Sep |
| Canal Walk Event | 11 to 15 Sep |
The events at the participating Hyprop Malls will include a variety of competitions and activities, featuring not only the main MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience efootball tournament, but also a range of smaller competitions and activations.
The grand finale will take place at Canal Walk, with eight finalists from each mall competing for the ultimate title and a share of the R50 000 prize pool.
Other activities include a Beat Saber competition hosted by MTN, with Xbox Series S consoles as prizes; Computer Mania pop-up shops; PC Gaming Zone; Keyboard Rebuild Race; the Toyota Gaming Engine SuperSprint (GT 7)’ and the Fighting Cup.
In addition, the online and LAN Call of Duty Tournament is back, with a R60 000 prize pool to be won. The final takes place at Canal Walk in September.