Amazon UNIVERSITY Esports Masters MENA Series (Amazon UEM),a keystone event for the academic esports environment worldwide, has begun its second edition with registrations opening to all university students who wish to participate in the winter semester module.
In its first split competition, over 600 students from 38 different universities have registered so far to compete in the event, with 94 teams participating.
Organised by MENA Tech Entertainment (a company of GGTech Entertainment), the event is a licensed university competition from top video game publishers such as Riot Games and Ubisoft taking place in the UAE. It gives students the chance to compete internationally and represent their institution and country.
Open to all higher education organisations, the best players from each institution will battle for the national title. The competition runs across two semesters, with the winter semester running from October to December and the spring semester running from February to June. Each game title will have a qualifying round, known as the National University Qualifiers, which will be the main stage of regular competition. The winning teams will advance to the Winter Split Finals in December.
Compared to the previous editions, there will be major changes in the competition system, which will now include three games: League of Legends, VALORANT, and Rainbow Six Siege, the newest addition to theAmazon UEM roster.
The competition will be streamed on the official Twitch channel.
Partnerships
During this season, Amazon UEM will be supported by influential publishers, such as Riot Games and Ubisoft.
Gareth Evans, Territory Director at Ubisoft MENA and Turkey, said: “We are excited to be partnering with MENA Tech on their second season of Amazon University Esports. At Ubisoft, we strongly believe in finding ways for players, from all walks of life, to have the chance to take part in friendly competitive tournaments, which play an important part in growing gaming communities.”
Community
The Amazon UNIVERSITY Tour is another novelty for this season, an initiative designed to inform students about the competition project. Students will have the opportunity to learn about Amazon UEM activities and sign up for the eight different activities at universities across the country (four each semester).
Mario Pérez, CEO of MENA Tech Entertainment, said: “The first edition of the Amazon UEM competition held in Abu Dhabi earlier this year was just the beginning of our commitment to helping increase the esports space in the region, which currently makes up 15% of the global gaming population. We aim to be an essential path for those students passionate about video games to develop their hard and soft skills. Our success is thanks to our partners Amazon, Ubisoft and Riot Games, who are helping us to become a strong reference in the region.”
For its second edition, the university-focused esports competition has opened registrations to students looking to strengthen their learning while enhancing their professional skills in the gaming industry.
The number of gamers in MENA’s three largest markets – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt – is expected to reach 86 million by 2025. As the gaming environment expands, it is also becoming an important source of employment across various fields. With a large portion of the population being under 25, one of MENA Tech’s most important targets is to locate students who are interested in developing their knowledge and skills and to provide them with the opportunity to explore the various fields that the environment provides.
For more information, visit https://universityesports.ae/.