MET, Southeast Asia’s #1 esports tournament organizer, has partnered with Globe Telecom, the Philippines’ #1 mobile brand, to produce the Globe Philippine Pro Gaming League (PPGL) 2018. The Globe PPGL 2018 will be a nationwide esports tournament featuring major esports titles across multiple gaming platforms: Dota 2 (desktop), Tekken 7 (console), and a mobile game soon to be announced.

Set to be the largest multi-title esports league in the Philippines, the Globe PPGL 2018 will be a milestone for the country’s esports industry and marks the beginning of a new era of esports entertainment in the country.

“Globe is once again embarking on a pioneering effort. After becoming the purveyor of digital lifestyle and redefining how Filipinos consume entertainment, we are set to put the Philippines on the map of gaming and eSports together with MET by launching Globe PPGL 2018,” said Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe Telecom. “We look forward to taking esports to greater heights, and develop world-class esports talents in the country,” added Cu.

The tournament will also be the subject of a first-of-its-kind esports television program produced alongside it. The Globe PPGL 2018 series will be a high-production serialized documentary that delves into the life stories, daily lives, and personal struggles of the players as they progress through the league. The tournament will be broadcast online via livestream while the documentary-style production will air on free television.

With this fresh take on esports entertainment, MET and Globe hope to bring both the spectacle and human elements of professional gaming to a wider audience. The show’s direction and production will cater to both mainstream audiences and existing esports fans. The tournament will also be possible with the help of other representatives from the Philippine esports industry, namely the Mobile Esports Arena and PlayBook Esports.

For MET, the Globe PPGL 2018 is also the evolution of their previous annual esports league, the MPGL. The MPGL ran for eight seasons from 2009 to 2016 over a broad range of esports titles such as Dota 2, League of Legends, CS:GO, and more. As a national league, the MPGL was also a launching pad for the careers of several amateur competitive gamers, creating now-recognized world-class Filipino esports athletes. With the Globe PPGL 2018, MET hopes to not only foster a new generation of professional player hopefuls, but also introduce a wider audience to the excitement and legitimacy of esports.

“The goal is to create the esports legends of the future—hometown heroes and local champions,” says Ronald “Rhom” Robins, Founder of MET and Father of Philippine Esports. “MET has always delivered top-notch events to cater to both pro gamers and esports fans. Now we want to reach a broader, more mainstream audience and show them the incredible appeal and legitimacy of esports.”

With the Philippines internationally recognized as an esports-loving country worldwide due to its passionate gamers and string of successful global esports events, MET and Globe believe that the time is right to bring esports entertainment to the mainstream.

The Globe PPGL 2018 tournament will begin later this 2018 with qualifier tournaments across the country before a live LAN event to determine the grand champions for each game title. The champion of the Dota 2 leg will also advance to a Southeast Asian Dota 2 tournament involving champions of other national esports leagues across the country.

More details will be announced at a later date.