This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
On August 21, 2019, Safaricom's BLAZE sub-brand launched an e-sport tournament in partnership with Pro Series Gaming and Standard Group, aiming to provide a platform for Kenyan youth to hone their gaming skills and potentially earn a living from it.
The tournament, which is open to youth aged 18-26, will feature FIFA 19 and Tekken 7 knockouts running on PlayStation 4. A total of KES 100,000 is up for grabs in each region, with winners taking home KES 50,000, second position KES 30,000, and third position KES 20,000.
Pro Series Gaming will manage the running of the tournament, while Standard Group will be the tournament's official media partner. The competition will be broken down into 10 grassroots knockouts and 5 regional finals, with at least 64 players entering at each knockout round.
Acting Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said, “People from all over the world are making a living out of professional gaming, which is why we have introduced an e-sports Tournament, to affirm to the youth that you can commercialize whatever skills and talents you have. Our commitment is to support the youth in their journey to economic empowerment, however unconventional it may be.”
Registration and participation in the tournament will be free, and interested youth can sign up during BLAZE BYOB Activations in towns around them or visit www.blaze.co.ke to see when BLAZE will be at a gaming den or campus near them.
