#MarketingEventsAwards 2021 Highlight: FIGHT Esports takes up the fight for amateur gamers

FIGHT Esports noticed a disparity in skills and avenues for growth when it came to gaming communities. As a result, university students who were looking to transition from casual to competitive gaming faced a lack of an even playing field.

Hence, FIGHT Esports launched the FIGHT Campus League (FCL), where gamers could come together to play friendly matches that reflect how actual tournaments work, while sharing and learning skills with other gamers.

FIGHT Esports’ ability to explore and expand on a lesser noticed issue, while addressing the disparity without hampering the fun of gaming, impressed the judges at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Marketing Events Awards 2021. 

Challenge 

FIGHT Esports, a global esports and gaming entertainment platform launched by Forest Interactive, wanted to connect and grow gaming communities through regional tournaments, local scrims, live-streams, and community engagement. However, there were too many gaming communities; not all of which were created equal.  

For instance, tournaments in the market were mostly professional or open tournaments, hence, university students that were looking to transition from casual to competitive gaming faced a lack of an even playing field.  

At the same time, community tournaments lack the production value of professional leagues, as there were no live-streams, shoutcasters, or organised gameplay. This proved a challenge to the reach, views, and engagement of these events; begging the question if organisers’ efforts translated to growth within the gaming community. 

Hence, FIGHT Esports decided to launch the FIGHT Campus League (FCL). The FCL would help establish an equitable and inclusive gaming community among schools and universities in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 

Bringing together enthusiasts, pro-gamers, streamers, casters, and amateurs, the FCL provided an avenue for players of all levels to play, connect, and compete in various tournaments organised by the FIGHT esports team.  

The FCL would be targeted towards university students, and designed to facilitate peer-to-peer tournaments that replicated the set-up, production value, and gameplay of a professional league. 

Strategy 

The FCL was designed to address the lack of an even playing field for university students. The FCL’s live-stream component, coupled with partnerships with influencers, media, and affinity groups, was an important component of its strategy. 

To further weave the FCL experience into gamers’ most-used social platforms, tournaments were live-streamed on two main social media platforms: TikTok for FCL Malaysia and Indonesia; and Facebook for FCL Philippines and Malaysia. 

The FCL also targeted newer gamers that were just starting out to ensure a wider reach, while enabling them to connect with friends and families through games that are commonly played in those markets. 

The games chosen for each country were based on their popularity and accessibility, with the inclusion of total prize pools that are on par with professional tournaments. 

It hosted Call of Duty Mobile in the Philippines with a prize pool of PHP 150,000; PUBG Mobile for Malaysia with RM16,000; and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang for Indonesia with a IDR50 million prize pool.  

Regular fans or teams that did not qualify for the semi-finals or finals could still continue to tune-in, watch, and participate in giveaways and quizzes. Prizes included Wallet Codes P Points, Epic Skins, and gaming equipment. This ensured viewers were engaged during the live-streams and would entice them to watch future tournaments as well.  

Execution 

FIGHT Esports drove hype for the FCL through pre-event promotions on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Discord, which included information relating to the shoutcasters, prize pools, countdowns to the event, and slot availability, to create a sense of “FOMO” – fear of missing out – among viewers. 

With most esports leagues dominating the Facebook gaming space, FIGHT Esports not only live-streamed its FCL tournaments on its global Facebook page, but also took advantage of its year-long partnership with TikTok to host and boost all FCL tournament live-streams. 

To further educate students on esports broadcast styles, each FCL hosted a different set-up: FCL Malaysia took on a talk show-like physical set; FCL Indonesia went full CGO with a complete green studio; and FCL Philippines adopted a remote set-up with the casters going live from home. 

Additionally, video game developer Moonton shared promo materials to its four million followers, while EVOS esports mobilised its talent to promote the leagues on its respective social media platforms. FIGHT’s media partners also provided a stream of coverage for the FCL. 

Results 

By providing university students with an exclusive competitive tournament, FCL served as a purpose-led event that promoted youth inclusion within the gaming community, while also reaching out to students in small towns and far-flung areas. 

Overall, the FCL was able to reach out to 177 university campuses in Malaysia, 553 in Indonesia, and 97 in the Philippines. Collectively, FCL saw 1,219 teams register for the event.