[WATCH] Five million viewers expected to tune in for Malta's first CS:GO contest

The first ever CS:GO invitational contest between eight tier-one teams in Malta kicked off on Thursday.

The esport competition will see prestigious international teams competing for a $150,000 prize pool. This event is a first for Malta, as well as Quickfire, a Maltese esport promoter.

The competition will take place from the 29 November to 2 December in the Intercontinental gaming arena and is open to the public from 5pm today. The final will be held on Sunday.

Teams, will go head to head playing Counter-Strike: Global offensive, a multiplayer first-person shooter.

On Thursday two groups of four teams, went head to head.

Nicolai Gauci, chief operating officer at Quickfire told Maltatoday that the opening had gone as expected - he said that they expect more turn out over the weekend when people were off work and school.

"We're expecting a bigger turn out over the weekend, with a total of five million unique viewers from around the world - this is because we have different methods of broadcasting put into effect," he said. The event is available on Twitch and television in China.

The government has recently targeted the esports sector, hoping to turn Malta into the home of gaming excellence. 

“We are talking about more than just esport competitions, but also expos, conferences and a new type of tourist. We are talking about creating a new ecosystem around the sector. Esports has a promising future," Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri said at the launch of the CS-GO esports competition last week.

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