Salak Tinggi – Sunsuria Berhad has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish EXVRA, an ESports Hub within Sunsuria City, which is Sunsuria’s flagship township that is built on principles of ‘Smart, Livable, Sustainable’. Sunsuria Berhad, an award-winning public-listed property developer, will be working with four individuals – Teh Mun Ben, Justin Chang, Fahmi Fairuz and Hazman Hassan – on this project to boost the local ESports ecosystem.
The signing ceremony was also officiated by YB Menteri Tuan Steven Sim, Deputy Minister of
Youth and Sports, who expressed his support towards the collaboration. “This merging of
ESports and real estate is both unique and innovative and I believe that this combination is
vital in building the future of ESports in our country. On behalf of the Ministry of Youth and
Sports, I would like to urge all parties, from government agencies to private corporations to
unite and work together in raising the bar for not just Esports, but also the empowerment of
the youth to build a better Malaysia.” he said.
“By catering to the growing interest in ESports and merging it with property development, we
believe that we can bring added value to our developments as well as the wider community,”
said Tan Sri Datuk Ter Leong Yap, Executive Chairman of Sunsuria Berhad.
“Not only is this the first ESports hub in Selangor, but it is also aligned to Sunsuria’s core belief
in having education as a catalyst in our township. Sunsuria City is built around Xiamen
University Malaysia (XMUM) – individually, these elements are self-sufficient; but together,
our township is enriched,” added Tan Sri Ter.
The explosive growth of ESports over the years have been notable, but with such explosive
growth, we need to be prepared for the oncoming industry and economy growth.
“ESports shouldn’t be taken as just another industry but an economy itself; to propel onward
talent pool has to be created with proper benchmark to instigate investment into the
economy” Benny Teh commented.
The planned project aims to cultivate the local ESports ecosystem to become more
sustainable by making these future ESports centres education hubs. They will serve as a
platform to inform the public on the various facets of ESports, ranging from competitive
gaming and event operations to name a few. “The general public needs to be made aware
that there is an entire world in ESports beyond just playing games. The people working
behind-the-scenes are just as important as the players in the front line,” Fahmi Fairuz
commented.
A key aspect of these education hubs is providing training for those interested in Esports-related careers. As an effort to develop ESports from the grassroots level, both companies wish to increase the local talent pool as well as to promote specialization in specific areas of ESports. Those interested in ESports and are looking to kickstart their ESports career can utilise these training hubs to obtain the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the ESports field. “ESports, much like traditional sports, consists of various aspects. Our ESports centers will provide workshops, classes and training for those our local youth. Players will be able to meet and form ESports teams while those interested to work behind the scenes can learn how to handle tournaments, set up events, creative work and so on. We hope that with these ESports hub, we will be able to train people based on their personal interests and the professional workforce that the field requires,” Hazman Hassan stated.
Justin Chang said “Given the decision of Sunsuria Berhad to invest in ESports, we are confident
that in the long run, there will be more interest from other real estate developers in the future
which could translate to a boost in the ESports economy as a whole.”
The Olympic movement, ESports and gaming communities met and collaborated with
International Olympic Council (OIC) in October last year. ESports could be an Olympic Sports
event as soon as in year 2024 in Paris as was announced recently. “We hope that sponsors
could see the potential in growing the ESports industry together.” Justin Chang further added.
Image source: Straits Times
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