The #RoadtoTheNationals begin.

A major milestone has been unlocked for Philippine Esports this year as big entities and brands team up together to bring us the first Franchise-based Esports league, The Nationals. Looking to be the PBA of Philippine Esports, The Nationals will aim to produce what they call the “E-Gilas” of Electronic Sports, which will then represent the country in the upcoming Asian Games, SEA Games, and even the Olympics.

Featuring 3 games from different platforms, The Nationals will have popular Esports titles, Dota 2, NBA 2K and Mobile Legends as part of its inaugural season, with the “Road to The Nationals” phase to kick-off this August 2018. The qualifier phase or the “Road to The Nationals” as they call it, will invite players and teams from key cities in the Philippines, Manila, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan De Oro, Bacolod, Iloilo and Baguio, and will have a Grand Finals event to be held in the Electronic Sports and Gaming Summit 2018 this coming October.

Targeting the mainstream audience as it hopes to produce the “Gilas” of Esports, The Nationals will be receiving live TV coverage via ESPN, TV5 and the Cignal TV Network, together with its online broadcasts on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook Live.

A major leap for Philippine Esports

Without a doubt, The Nationals is a major milestone for the Philippine Esports scene, not just for aspiring players but also for talents. With The Nationals becoming the “PBA of Esports” there is a very high chance of more non-endemic, and major brands joining the Esports ecosystem and make the once niche scene more mainstream, and become a fully fledged industry. There are still some looming questions regarding the overall viability of The Nationals though especially with the recent debacle concerning government involvement but as far as the talks both on-screen and off-screen go, it seems like a lot of elements are being taken into consideration to help ensure that the whole event goes without any nasty hitches. While the Road to the Nationals is more or less, on its way, the events that will transpire this 2018 will just be a taste of what will happen in 2019 when the actual The Nationals event will fully kick-off and we can all just sit and wait as to where this new road takes us, as far as Philippine Esports is concerned.