Football-loving Egyptians can now also look forward to Free Fire, the country’s first sports tournament happening entirely on mobile phones. More than 13 000 gamers have already registered to participate.
Free Fire is an initiative of Garena, a leading global online developer, in partnership with the Egyptian government and the country’s federation of e-sports. Since 2019, Free Fire was also the most downloaded mobile game in the world according to App Annie.
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In a media release, organisers confirmed that the tournament would take place between August and September this year. It will feature a 500 000 Egyptian pounds (about $26 000) prize pool. Tournament registration only closes on Wednesday, 10 August this year, but more than 13 000 gamers are already confirmed to participate.
Egypt loves electronic games
Leading up to the Free Fire launch ceremony, Dr Ashraf Sobhy, the Egyptian minister of youth and sports, stressed the role of electronic games, one of the crucial aspects of the telecommunications industry, and how it has become a preferred platform for many young people.
He also highlighted the electronic games industry’s contribution to the economy’s growth in terms of the value of direct sales and encouraging innovation, creativity, and technology development.
Sobhy pointed to the government’s support for the Egypt Federation of Electronic Games, and its vision of launching various events and competitions held throughout the country. Meanwhile, Sherif Abdel-Baky, the president of the E-Sports Federation, thanked Sobhy, emphasising that the federation was keen to intensify electronic sports competitions.
Garena is a part of Sea Limited, a leading global consumer internet company. In addition to Garena, Sea’s other core businesses include its e-commerce arm, Shopee, and digital financial services arm, SeaMoney. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.
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