Maxis doubles down on eSports with Team Secret tie-up

Maxis has come on board as the first Malaysian sponsor for the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile team under Team Secret, a professional eSports pro-gaming team.Under the partnership, Maxis will work with the all-Malaysian PUBG Mobile team to develop year-long exclusive gaming content to drum up interest in eSports among Malaysian gamers and propel Malaysia towards its goal of becoming Asia’s eSports hub. Additionally, the partnership will also offer players and fans in Malaysia with improved gaming experience on its 5G network and fibre. This includes smartphone gaming bundles with Maxis Zerolution and in-game purchases via operator billing for Hotlink, Maxis and ookyo customers.Maxis’ head of brand and marketing, Tai Kam Leong, said it made “perfect sense” to collaborate with Team Secret as it gives the telco an opportunity to amplify local talents and elevate them to the global stage, while promoting the growth of the Malaysian eSports scene.“This is something of significance to Maxis, and one that we are proud to be part of as it epitomises our strengths in unlocking the potential and immense possibilities of people and technology in a very unique way,” he added.Meanwhile, John Yao, Team Secret’s CEO, said there is “tremendous energy and enthusiasm” in Malaysia and the country also happens to represent on of the strongest Team Secret fanbases worldwide.“Seeing great potential in the Malaysian market, we’ve assembled our talented team of all-Malaysian PUBG Mobile players. We are really excited to be partnering with Maxis and we look forward to developing Team Secret PUBG Mobile together, working towards the goal of cultivating the positive culture that is critical to success in team-based eSports,” Yao said.Late last year, the Malaysian government allocated RM10 million to the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation for eSports, shortly after it recognised eSports as an activity and industry which is growing increasingly popular among the younger generation, especially software engineers and gaming developers. It has also been named a medal event at the upcoming SEA Games in the Philippines.