Riot Games and Intel Continue Their Commitment Towards Esports In The MENA Region

Riot Games and Intel have reinforced their commitment to promote the eSports sector in the MENA region and provide regular opportunities for gamers to compete against each other at the highest level following the conclusion of the Intel Arabian Cup (IAC).

Based on the League of Legends title, the second edition of the IAC, organized by Riot Games and Intel, came to an exciting end recently with Geekay Esports team from Saudi Arabia crowned champions after their victory over runners up Anubis Gaming.

The IAC showcased the best talent from across MENA region across three seasons through March to October. The best teams from the Country Qualifiers, Competitors League and Champions League were given a chance to showcase their skills, dominate the play field and build a momentum leading up to an epic finale at the end of last month.

During a virtual press conference attended by key officials from Intel and Riot Games, Karim Hachani, Head of Publishing MENA – Riot Games, emphasized the importance of collaboration in the gaming industry.

He said: “Our collaboration with Intel is extremely important because the gaming industry does not involve just the publishers as there are several pillars to the gaming industry. Among them are the players, the publishers, technology providers such as Intel, the broadcast teams, and many other pillars that are key in the gaming industry.

“We believe that by bringing all of these experts together to create an experience for the players is always the right approach. Intel and Riot Games share the same core positioning of putting the players’ experience and create a memorable environment for the players.”

The virtual press conference was attended by Intel’s Director of Desktop Gaming and Creator, Mark Subotnick, and Ali Riza Kucuk, Regional Consumer Director, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa – Intel. They highlighted how organizing the Intel Arabian Cup is part of their efforts to deliver enjoyable gaming experiences in the region and also delved into how the newly launched Intel 12th Gen processor is perfect for gaming.

The 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake processor aims to be the foundation for the next era of x86 computing and is the most significant shift in architecture since the beginning of Core™. It is re-envisioned to provide the performance to match the way real people use their PCs today.

Hachani added: “The IAC provides an opportunity for amateur and professional gamers to test themselves in a competitive environment while allowing us to recognize and nurture local talent as well as further developing the gaming landscape in the region.”

Over 1,000 teams registered and participated during the course of the three seasons of IAC. Fans across the region were also able to follow the action live with the competitions broadcasted over League of Legends channels on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook.

With matches streamed online, the competition has also allowed gamers to be recognized for their talent. The tournament received over 6.1 million views in total with the grand finale garnering over 1 million views.