KUALA LUMPUR, January 13 — Esports in South-east Asia has always been big and it’s about time Malaysia tapped deeper into its potential.
One example of this is through the hosting of the sixth edition of the Asia Pacific (APAC) Predator League 2025 by Acer where its grand finals took place at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) in KL on January 11 and January 12.
Apart from the Dota 2 (a five versus five real-time strategy game) and Valorant (tactical first person shooter game) tournament which offered a whopping prize pool of US$400,000 (RM1.8 million) — the APAC Predator League 2025 also serve as a mutual gathering ground for esports players and fans as well as gaming enthusiasts from all over the region.
The tournament has seen teams and fans flying in from countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia and more.
And not forgetting local fans who didn’t want to miss the chance to catch their favourite esport teams in action while immersing themselves at the two-day festival-like event which also featured a slew of performances by top local and international artists such as Minzy and Sandara Park of Kpop girl’s group 2NE1 as well as local singers Aina Abdul and Hael Husaini.
Award-winning local Valorant shoutcaster or host Natasha Hashim is one of those who were thrilled to see Malaysia hosting yet another prestigious esports event in the country.
“For me personally, It is great because I don’t think Malaysia ever had a whole music meets esports event and it does make sense because esports in general is such an all encompassing industry.
“And you look at this event as not just exclusively for gamers because even though you’re not a gamer, you could still come for the music and other activities,” she said.
Natasha or better known by her hosting alias TashBunny, has hosted both local and international Valorant tournaments previously and she pointed out that The APAC Predator League is also a great way of shining the spotlight towards the tier two esports teams that are competing in it.
“Tier two tournaments are usually held online and to have a stage set up for the teams to compete on gives a level playing field as every player is playing on the same PC setup.
“So this eliminates potential in-game disruptions as it often happens in online tournaments —where mostly is due to high pings or weak internet connection,” she said.
However, Natasha also said that the event would be better if it was more accessible in terms of location and ticket prices.
Many esports fans, especially for Valorant, are from the younger age group.
Some of them might not be able to afford the tickets, while others would prefer a location easily accessible by public transportation.
Meanwhile, for brothers Suffi and Ameerul from Melaka, both esports enthusiasts, the main reason for attending the event was the Dota 2 and Valorant tournaments.
Seeing esports teams compete live on stage is a completely different experience.
“For those who haven’t been to any esports tournaments before, we would highly recommend it because the feeling is hard to describe — you just have to be there to experience it yourself.
“Esports, although it is relatively a new form of entertainment but for those gaming fans who grew up from 2010 onwards, watching a tournament is like watching football or badminton to them.
“The cheering of the crowds, the stage setup and production quality really amplifies the whole experience,” Suffi said.
Suffi added that audiences can also feel the tension in the air as the esports teams take centre stage in any live tournament.
The brothers who are also avid gamers pointed out that it’s easy for most to assume that esports tournaments are easy compared to other sports.
However, esports players also deserve recognition for their dedication.
They have invested countless hours into the game and navigated a challenging journey to reach their current level of competition.
“It may look simple but reaching the semi-finals is actually really difficult in esports because you need to be the best of the best.
“People might just shrug it off as ‘oh, they are just the top four teams’ but did they actually follow the team’s journey from qualifying stage to the semis?
“Take for example our local Valorant team Xipto who had to face off with Todak who was considered a big team during their regional qualifying match previously, so it’s really important for teams to be prepared for any possibilities during the tournament,” Ameerul said.
Meanwhile, best friends Hakim and Kaze have a personal mission at the APAC Predator League: collect as many freebies as they can through the many activities and mini competitions there.
Hakim came cosplaying as Aphelios from the League of Legends game while Kaze opted to go as Yae Miko from Genshin Impact.
Although at first glance, some would think they are participating in the cosplay competition at the event but in truth both of them are just cosplaying for the fun of it — just like the many other attendees at the event.
“My outfit cost me around RM300 and I even did my hair myself because if I were to commission someone to do it, it could cost me up to RM600.
“I also built all the props myself,” Hakim said.
Kaze spent around RM70 for her wig while she opted to mix and match her outfit from her wardrobe.
Fast forward to the end of the first day of APAC Predator League Grand Finals — both of the best friends were seen strolling happily with a small trolley of freebies and it is mission accomplished for the two of them.
“We weren’t expecting so many free gifts!
“We got keychains, some computer accessories and a lot of other stuff like sticker packs and tote bags and we even got free food from the booths there!” Ameerul said.
