For Release on December 10, 2020, at 10AM Hanoi Time / 11AM SGT:
HANOI, VIETNAM – Razer™, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, announces its intention to lead the charge for esports in the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2021. As the official esports sponsor for the 30th SEA Games, held 2019 in the Philippines, Razer was instrumental in lobbying for the inclusion of esports as a medaled event – for the first time in sports history. Now, in the lead up to the official inclusion of esports in the 31st SEA Games, Razer has worked with industry partners and regional esports federations to once again, succeed in the official inclusion of esports in this competitive tournament.
“Esports has always been a fundamental part of the Razer DNA. We have led the rally to elevate esports as a recognized medal event at the SEA Games in 2019 and 2021,” said Zuber Mohammed, Chief Marketing Officer at Razer. “With esports now being confirmed as an official event again for SEA Games 2021, we remain committed to working together with the region’s national esports federations to drive its continued development and to prepare all participating athletes for the upcoming competitions.”
Ahead of SEA Games 2021, which will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, Razer is working closely with multiple partners to prepare athletes. Together with the national esports federations in the region and supporting the SEA esports community, Razer has organized a variety of initiatives such as Razer Invitational – SEA to provide training opportunities, support and a global platform to regional esports athletes. This includes working with VIRESA to sponsor the Vietnam team during the International Esports Federation Championship to train and gear up for the international stage.
“With the overwhelming support from Razer and federations, we’re pleased to share that esports is once again part of the SEA Games,” said Xuan Cuong Nguyen, President of the Vietnam Electronic Sports and Entertainment Association (VIRESA). “Many athletes have taken part in competitions to train for the upcoming esports event, despite not knowing if the games are confirmed. We are heartened by the dedication of the athletes and will pledge to level up esports in the region.”
Razer Invitationals 2020 prepared athletes for the global stage
Building on the success of the SEA Games 2019 esports events, Razer continues its efforts to prepare esports athletes worldwide for international medaled events. The brand’s firm belief that there is a greater need for inclusiveness and equal opportunities to be given to the amateur level resulted in the Razer Invitational – a first-of-its-kind tournament series, held fully online in light of COVID-19, enabling esports athletes from different skill levels to participate and gain regional experience.
Razer Invitational first kicked off with a Southeast Asian edition with the goal of preparing the Southeast Asian athletes for SEA Games 2021, prior to the confirmation of its inclusion. Working with industry partners and regional esports federations, Razer organized and launched an inclusive, yet highly competitive tournament that featured esports athletes from 10 countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It was the largest SEA esports tournament of 2020 and saw more than 500 teams participating with 10.5 million live stream views and 67 million social impressions.
“Along with Razer, we were able to bind the stakeholders, publishers and SEA Esports leadership into a community that has led to its equal recognition and coverage as traditional sports,” said Alvin Juban, Philippine SEA Games Union, Co-President & National Team Manager. “We’re extremely proud of how far the esports athletes and this community have gone full circle and enabled the opportunities that next year’s SEA Games will bring to the industry.”
Following the success of Razer Invitational – Southeast Asia, Razer then continued its bid to discover and nurture a new generation of esports athletes globally: the fully digital tournament is now ongoing in Latin America. Razer Invitational is also scheduled to begin in Europe, from December 10, 2020 through to January 30, 2021.
For more information, please visit https://www.razer.com/sg-en/razer-invitational.
As one of the largest esports brands in the world, Razer continues to champion esports’ growth and development. SEA Games 2021 is a key milestone for the industry and Razer looks forward to working with the various federation to solidify esports’ position as a legitimized and permanent medaled event in the biennial multi-sport event.
MEDIA ASSETS
Download product images here
ABOUT RAZER
Razer™ is the world’s leading lifestyle brand for gamers.
The triple-headed snake trademark of Razer is one of the most recognized logos in the global gaming and esports communities. With a fan base that spans every continent, the company has designed and built the world’s largest gamer-focused ecosystem of hardware, software and services.
Razer’s award-winning hardware includes high-performance gaming peripherals and Blade gaming laptops.
Razer’s software platform, with over 100 million users, includes Razer Synapse (an Internet of Things platform), Razer Chroma RGB (a proprietary RGB lighting technology system), and Razer Cortex (a game optimizer and launcher).
In services, Razer Gold is one of the world’s largest virtual credit services for gamers, and Razer Fintech is one of the largest offline-to-online digital payment networks in SE Asia.
Founded in 2005 and dual-headquartered in Irvine (California) and Singapore, Razer has 17 offices worldwide and is recognized as the leading brand for gamers in the USA, Europe and China. Razer is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code: 1337).
