[WATCH] Esports: Malta hopes to become the 'home of gaming excellence'

Silvio Schembri on making Malta an esports centre

The government hopes to turn Malta into the home of gaming excellence, Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri said as the country targets the esport sector.

“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," he said on Thursday.

He was speaking at the unveiling of the CS-GO esports competition by Supernova. The competition will be the first ever CS:GO invitational contest between eight tier-one teams to be held in Malta.

The CS-GO tournament will see eight international teams coming to compete in Malta

Supernova is bringing prestigious international teams to compete 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. Teams, will go head to head playing Counter-Strike: Global offensive, a multiplayer first-person shooter.

“This tournament will bring top teams from around the world to play the global phenomenon Counter-Strike. It will be broadcasted in eight different languages, such as German and Russian. Globally we expect five million people to tune in from around the world to watch the event,” CEO of Eden Leisure Group Simon De Cesare said.

De Cesare said he hoped the event would help promote Malta not just as a tourism hub but as a hub for technology.

Schembri said that the Eden Leisure group was diverse and the government hoped to work with the group in future to develop the sector.

“Eden leisure group is a diverse group that is investing aggressively into the sector. The government hopes to work with the private sector, not only on events but to create schemes to help young people enter the sector, to bring talent to the island and also draw investors into the sector… we also hope that this sector will encourage people to visit Malta all year round," Schembri said.