Crowds and fans gathered in full force at the SM City North Edsa The Annex Cyberzone during the action-packed Grand Finals weekend of the Thunder Esports Tour last August 31 to September 1.
Presented by Coca-Cola Philippines’ Thunder Super Soda, a one-of-a-kind drink with the taste of soda and a kick of caffeine, and organized by MET Events, the Thunder Esports Tour is a nationwide esports tournament for all aspiring Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) players in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
With a prize pool of 1 million pesos, the Thunder Esports Tour kicked-off at SM CDO Uptown in Cagayan De Oro, followed by legs held at SM City San Fernando in Pampanga and SM Seaside Cebu, with players battling it out for the chance to compete in the Grand Finals.
“Globally, the Company has been on a journey with the eSports stars, athletes, and fans as early as 2010. At that time, Coca-Cola was one of the first global brands that supported the non-traditional sport," shares Jessie Ericta, Coca-Cola Philippines Senior Brand Manager for Thunder Supersoda.
"The disruption made by this new form of entertainment, which continues to appeal to a growing, diverse and inclusive group of people from all walks of life — showing the changing modern-day consumption behavior of people — is a perfect fit for the Philippines' only super soda drink, Thunder. Similar to the sport, we recognize how people's preferences when it comes to their beverage choices have evolved over time. Thunder Super Soda makes sure that we continue to deliver what they want and need — the energy and fuel to win." she added further.
"Coca-Cola, as a Company, has always been at the forefront of innovative communications. We have always sought for new spaces and opportunities where we can continue refreshing people while looking at the way we do our marketing plans and activities differently through brands like Thunder Super Soda," said Justin Kingsu, Coca-Cola Philippines Senior IMC Manager.
Kingsu concluded, "Though relatively young, eSports has so much potential seeing the exponential growth of the industry in the Philippines over the last few years and the rise of many skilled, world-class Filipino players. We're excited for the future of the eSports industry and look forward to growing together with them."
The Grand Finals featured two action-filled showmatches for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and DOTA 2 featuring the most popular MLBB streamers Akosi Dogie and Chixni Dogie, as well as the All-Filipino professional DOTA 2 team, TNC Predator facing off against the Thunder Pinoy All-Stars.
The event served as a grand homecoming for TNC Predator as they had just returned from the recently concluded The International 2019 after getting knocked out at the lower bracket 2nd round and winning 35M PhP in cash prize. The Thunder Pinoy All-Stars featured local favorites such as Julius “Julz” De Leon and Kimuel “Kim0” Rodis.
Day 1 of the Grand Finals saw the Mobile Legends Semi-Finals with Northern Kings going head-to-head with Rumble Royale; and the STI Olympians challenging Sventures Gaming Omicron. Day 2 meanwhile saw the Sterling Global Dragons go head-to-head with Trigon Esports in the Dota 2 Semi-Finals; and Miraculum Esports challenging Level21 in the same category.
Emerging as over-all champions in the MLBB category, STI Olympians, took home 130 thousand pesos. The CS:GO champions, Bren Esports, took home 100 thousand pesos. Lastly, taking home 210 thousand pesos as champions In the Dota 2 Grand Finals were the Sterling Global Dragons.
