South Africa’s competitive gaming community stepped into the spotlight at Canal Walk, where the national finals of Hyprop’s SHIFT Gaming Experience brought the tournament series to a thrilling close and crowned champions across three titles.
Ethan Luck, known by the gamertag Nova, took the Beat Saber title, while Mogamat Zaid April, competing as Zaid April, was named the EA FC 26™ Football champion. Jayden Devlal claimed victory in Brawlhalla.
The national finals followed a tournament series staged across eight Hyprop shopping centres, attracting 42 327 competitors and visitors to the gaming arenas. A total of 2 029 gamers registered for the EA FC 26™ Football tournament alone, with the field narrowed to 12 finalists who competed at Canal Walk.
A total of R350 000 in prize money was awarded throughout the tournament, making the SHIFT Gaming Experience South Africa’s biggest gaming tournament.
“Gaming has a remarkable ability to draw people together, whether they are competing, cheering on friends or simply discovering a new title for the first time,” says Christie Stanbridge, Hyprop’s brand and campaigns marketing manager. “By bringing professionally run tournaments into shopping centres, we are making competitive gaming more accessible and giving players a platform to test their skills in front of a live audience. The response across the series showed just how much appetite there is for these experiences.”
The EA FC 26™ Football Final carried a R50 000 prize pool, shared among the top four finishers.
For Mandy Bellamy, General Manager of Canal Walk, hosting the national finals was a fitting conclusion to a series that drew players and spectators from across the country. “Canal Walk was proud to welcome the finalists and the gaming community for this exciting finale,” says Bellamy. “The energy in the arena, the calibre of competition and the support from spectators made it a memorable event. We look forward to building on this success and making the tournament even bigger in 2027.”