Pakistani Video Game Player Among World's Top 10 Earners

Karachi-born Pakistani Syed Sumail Hasan, 19, is the world's youngest video gamer to surpass $1 million in earnings in esports. In fact, he has earned $3.6 million so far as an international Dota 2 player, ranking him the 10th biggest winner in the world, according to esportsearnings.com website which tracks players' earnings. Sumail started playing Dota 2 at the age of 7. He now lives in a Chicago suburb as a permanent resident of the United States.

Syed Sumail Hassan

Arsalan Ash Siddique, 23 years old player from Lahore, Pakistan, caused a stir in Fukuoka Japan when he defeated world's top players to win EVO championship in February, 2019, according to Asahi Shimbun. In his victory speech, Arslan acknowledged many unknown Pakistani players who are also quite strong but could not join the competition because they could not get the visa to travel to Japan.

It wasn't easy for Arsalan to reach Japan to participate in the contest. He had to jump through many hoops and travel through several transit countries each of which made it difficult for him. When he arrived at Haneda airport in Japan,  he only had Pakistani rupees and no exchange would accept them. Hungry and tired he tried his luck at the food court but no one would accept the Pakistani currency. His next flight was from Narita airport an hour away by public transport. To travel he needed to buy a ticket but did not possess any local currency, according to SBS Urdu.

Arsalan Ash Siddique (Center)

Arsalan was exhausted and ready to give up his dream when he finally got through to his Japanese sponsors who helped him out. Needless to say he got no help from Pakistani diplomats through his challenging journey.

In spite of visa denials and other travel challenges faced by Pakistani players, the country ranks 25th in the world for players' earnings in 2019, according to esportsearnings.com.  Ranked above Pakistan are  mainly rich industrialized nations from North America, Europe and East Asia. All South Asian nations rank below Pakistan. Players from India rank 63rd, Sri Lanka 98th, Afghanistan 108th, Bangladesh 115th and Nepal 123rd.

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Comment by Riaz Haq on November 7, 2021 at 5:16pm

International #Taekwondo Championship Opens in #Pakistan with 450 players representing 15 countries.
Representatives from #Afghanistan, #Nepal, #Jordan, #Kazakhstan, #Oman, #Iran and the #UAE - all members of World Taekwondo Asia. #martialarts #sports https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1115167/pakistan-open-gover...

The three-day Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Pakistan Open International Taekwondo Championship (G-1) will roll into action on Saturday at Liaquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad as players from all the participating countries have arrived in Islamabad.

According to an official of Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), the competitions will start in the morning while the opening ceremony will take place at 5:30 pm on Saturday.

Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza will be the chief guest at the opening ceremony. Besides high dignitaries of sponsors, top officials of Pakistan Taekwondo and IPC ministry will also attend the grand opening ceremony.

The diverse culture of the different areas of the country will be presented during the colorful ceremony.

All the arrangements have been finalized and the stage is ready for the prestigious taekwondo fixtures of the world.

On Friday, the athletes of various countries held their training sessions in the morning and evening at the joint hall of championship showgrounds under the control of their respective coaches and officials.

Over 550 players, officials, technical referees and judges from different countries will be the part of COAS Pakistan Open Taekwondo International Championship 2021. Besides hosts Pakistan, Afghanistan, Albania, Nepal, Jordon, Kazakhstan, Oman, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, United Arab Emirates (UAE), El-Salvador, Croatia, and WT Refuge Team will fight for 16 gold medals.

“We have international standard equipment to meet the international challenges and PTF is capable of staging such a great event in future too.

“Our aim is to promote the game and highlight the positive image of Pakistan across the world through sports. We have the full support of the IPC ministry and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to organize this event,” the PTF official said.

Responding to a question, he divulged that PTF had also invited India for this event but it did not respond. “India has good taekwondo players, especially girls.

Anyhow, we sent invitations to all countries. Many countries are not coming for this event owing to the airfares that have gone high due to Covid-19. We have enough entries and a large number of players and officials will be in Islamabad for the mega taekwondo showpiece,” he said.

The event is being sponsored by Combaxx Sports, Fruit Nation, Go Petroleum, Bank Islami, the Bank of Punjab, Nayyab Labs, Korean Embassy, Islamabad Serena Hotel and Shangrilla Resorts.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 6, 2021 at 8:00pm

Arslan Ash Claims the CEO Championship Belt

https://www.esportstalk.com/news/arslan-ash-takes-first-place-in-te...

Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique took first place in Tekken 7 at CEO 2021, showing why he is one of the world’s best players. The fighting game pride of Pakistan defeated the “hometown” American hero Hoa “Anakin” Luu in a thrilling Grand Finals set.

CEO 2021 was the first major open-bracket fighting game tournament since the COVID-19 pandemic. The victory is Arslan Ash’s first major win in the United States since his legendary performance at EVO 2019. It is also the second offline event he has won in 2021 after taking 1st at WePlay Ultimate Fighting League last April.

Representing FATE eSports and Red Bull eSports, Arslan Ash absolutely dominated the competition. On his path to Grand Finals, he won every single match without dropping a single game. This came against some of America’s top players, including EVO 2021 Online champion Marquis “Shadow_20z” Jordan. Known for his ability to use several different characters, Arslan Ash stuck with Zafina for the entirety of the CEO 2021. After cruising into Winner’s Finals, he met his Red Bull teammate Anakin in a matchup the whole venue had been waiting for.

Unfortunately for Anakin and the USA supporters, nothing appeared to be stopping Arslan Ash’s momentum. He and his Zafina routed the American’s JACK-7 3-0 to advance to Grand Finals on the Winner’s Side. The tournament favorite was right where everyone expected him to be, yet he still managed to impress with such flawless play. After his FATE teammates and fellow countrymen, Imran “Khan” Khan and Muhammad “Farzeen” Farzeen were eliminated, it was up to Arslan Ash to bring the CEO 2021 belt back to Pakistan.

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Arslan Ash
mS55fm2lgl8h370o8l0i2arh ·
ALHAMDULILLAH!!
I managed to win #CEO2021 in Florida, which puts another big title under my belt.
-Evo Japan 2019
-Evo 2019
-CEO 2021
I will keep grinding for more, but this is a big one for me and it's all thanks to being part of the STRONGEST Tekken community, the Pakistan one

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=443378240483091&set=pcb.44...[0]=AZUJ53AVvv88lhc-P27z2rAJSmMmOp3JMfszLzQ0W-bcHvDyxXqdeiQUfXqXFFFGrF6WWfDpYoU_6HAPiwAKhqaxSV9e--8dJyvj1jSvzNiAAbA8N_B2q7D8LpDab_LhT0Lm9eTTpMYxgquGeKCLa-nw&__tn__=*bH-R

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https://twitter.com/ArslanAsh95/status/1467707519040737281?s=20

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 31, 2022 at 12:50pm

How Islam helped Pakistan become an esports hub
DEVIN NEALY 5:47 AM SAT DEC 31, 2022

https://boingboing.net/2022/12/31/how-islam-helped-pakistan-become-...


Fighting games helped establish the world of esports. Before League of Legends and Starcraft even had a tournament presence, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike was taking the internet by storm with EVO moment 37. However, in the realm of competitive fighting games, there are few games as difficult as Tekken. Since Tekken is played in three dimensions, as opposed to the traditional two dimensions, there are numerous eventualities to account for during play. In addition to the three-dimensional chaos, almost every character in the game has a hundred moves that both you and your opponent must be aware of.

For decades, the country of South Korea has been the undisputed king of Tekken. With a host of notable players throughout the game's competitive history coming from South Korea, the country has long been established as the most dominant Tekken scene on Earth.

In the last few years, Pakistan has not only been making waves in the Tekken scene, but it's also working to usurp South Korea from its throne. In the video linked above, you can learn how the Islamic ritual of Hajj helped bring Tekken to Pakistan.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 14, 2023 at 4:41pm

Gamer Pakistan and Elite Sports Pakistan announce 100th and 101st University Sports Commercialization Memorandums of Understanding

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan...


HENDERSON, NV and KARACHI, PAKISTAN / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2023 / Gamer Pakistan today announced that affiliate company Elite Sports Pakistan has signed its 100th university sports Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and 101st MoU with Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sindh. These MoU's give Gamer Pakistan exclusive rights to conduct, broadcast and commercialize esports competitions at these respective universities.

Gamer Pakistan is rapidly becoming the premiere university esports partner for secondary education institutions in Pakistan. Gamer Pakistan creates the formats and events to provide a competitive environment in which to unearth and nurture budding esports talent at the collegiate level and provide them with opportunities to represent Pakistan globally in their journey to becoming world-class professional esports athletes.

Gamer Pakistan was founded in November 2021 to create college (in Pakistan "college" refers to pre-university programs, comparable to high schools in the U.S.), university and professional esports events for men's and women's teams. The company plans to develop competitive events that integrate our teams and leagues with regional and global teams and leagues sponsored by others. According to Statista, the number of gamers in Pakistan was estimated to be 36.8 million (16% of the population) in 2022 and is predicted to rise to 50.9 million gamers (20.6% of the population) by 2026.

"We are pleased to have achieved this milestone with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sind," said Elite Sports Pakistan CEO Muhammad Jamal Qureshi. "Their leadership in expanding the competitive sports and career advancement opportunities available for their students in all aspects of athletics is to be commended."

"Gamer Pakistan looks forward to including Usman Institute of Technology and Shah Abdul Latif University into the total collegiate Gamer Pakistan competitive esports universe," said James Knopf, Gamer Pakistan CEO. "Their participation and the enthusiasm and skills of their student gamers gives us great confidence in the future of esports in Pakistan, and in the ability of these gamers to rightly take their space on the global esports stage."

Esports is a form of competition using video games in organized, multiplayer video game tournaments. Players use mobile devices, computers, and video game consoles to compete against each other virtually or before live audiences. Gamer Pakistan is developing a strong platform built on licensed technology to enhance user experience with interactive features, and competition among players through the organization of tournaments and other events that support esports. Commercialization is accomplished through the sale of advertising and sponsorships to accompany event broadcasts and merchandising of products cobranded with our institutional partners and sponsors.

To date over seven hundred teams have registered in different Gamer Pakistan competitions, whereas four hundred-plus esports teams have been registered exclusively in esports competitive games including PubG®, Call of Duty®, Free Fire®, Tekken®, FiFa®, Valorant® and CSGO®. Gamer Pakistan also plans to proffer development contracts with the top winning teams in Valorant and Call Of Duty to provide for the betterment and development of these aspiring esports athletes.


Between November 2021 and November 2022, Gamer Pakistan has organized and held 27 separate esports tournaments, including the first annual University Esports National Tournament and Championship from June 30 - July 1 of 2022. In December 2022 GP held the week-long inaugural National Esports Free Fire Championship.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 14, 2023 at 4:42pm

Gamer Pakistan and Elite Sports Pakistan announce 100th and 101st University Sports Commercialization Memorandums of Understanding

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan...


Gamer Pakistan had already signed university sports commercialization Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with 99 universities from the public and private education sectors, and also with the Inter-University Consortium of Pakistan for Social Sciences (IUCPSS), which has an affiliation with up to seventy universities.

2023 Gamer Pakistan esports competitions include National Valorant League, Islamabad Esports Championship, Sindh (Provincial) Intervarsity PubG Tournament, KPK FIFA Championship, Lahore Esports (LAN event) Championship, GP Pakistan Tekken Championship, Gamer Pakistan National FREE FIRE League and the Punjab (Provincial) Open Esports Championship.

Elite Sports Pakistan Pvt. Ltd, (ESP) is our affiliate company and duly incorporated under the laws of Pakistan. ESP has entered into agreements with universities and sports authorities in Pakistan pursuant to which we have been granted exclusive rights with respect to licensing, producing, distributing and monetizing a range of sports events for inter-collegiate competition, including esports. ESP has been instrumental in forming Gamer Pakistan.

About Gamer Pakistan

Gamer Pakistan is an esports event development and product marketing company that was founded in November 2021 to create college, inter-university and professional esports events for all genders in Pakistan. Operations are conducted through wholly-owned subsidiary K2 Gamer (PVT) Ltd., and affiliate Elite Sports Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. https://www.gamerpakistan.com/

Comment by Riaz Haq on July 12, 2023 at 4:54pm

Gamer Pakistan has filed for an initial public offering, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan...

The games studio is offering 1.7 million shares of its common stock at an estimated price of $4 to $5 a share.

Selling stockholders are offering up to 2.3 million shares of Gamer Pakistan's common stock.

The company has applied to list its common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Markets under the symbol GPAK.

"If we cannot realize a per share offering price of at least $4.00 per share in this offering, we will not proceed with this offering," Gamer Pakistan said, noting that it selected the lower price point of $4 per share "given recent market turmoil."

Write to Sabela Ojea at sabela.ojea@wsj.com; @sabelaojeaguix

------------

Gamer Pakistan and Elite Sports Pakistan announce 100th and 101st University Sports Commercialization Memorandums of Understanding


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan...

HENDERSON, NV and KARACHI, PAKISTAN / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2023 / Gamer Pakistan today announced that affiliate company Elite Sports Pakistan has signed its 100th university sports Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and 101st MoU with Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sindh. These MoU's give Gamer Pakistan exclusive rights to conduct, broadcast and commercialize esports competitions at these respective universities.

Gamer Pakistan is rapidly becoming the premiere university esports partner for secondary education institutions in Pakistan. Gamer Pakistan creates the formats and events to provide a competitive environment in which to unearth and nurture budding esports talent at the collegiate level and provide them with opportunities to represent Pakistan globally in their journey to becoming world-class professional esports athletes.

Gamer Pakistan was founded in November 2021 to create college (in Pakistan "college" refers to pre-university programs, comparable to high schools in the U.S.), university and professional esports events for men's and women's teams. The company plans to develop competitive events that integrate our teams and leagues with regional and global teams and leagues sponsored by others. According to Statista, the number of gamers in Pakistan was estimated to be 36.8 million (16% of the population) in 2022 and is predicted to rise to 50.9 million gamers (20.6% of the population) by 2026.

"We are pleased to have achieved this milestone with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sind," said Elite Sports Pakistan CEO Muhammad Jamal Qureshi. "Their leadership in expanding the competitive sports and career advancement opportunities available for their students in all aspects of athletics is to be commended."

Comment by Riaz Haq on October 3, 2024 at 8:45am

Tekken director has no idea how the game got so big in Pakistan

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78d4153veeo

Players from Pakistan have been dominating the professional Tekken scene - but the game's director says he has no idea how it got so big in the country.
First launched 30 years ago, the Japan-developed fighting game released its eighth numbered instalment at the start of this year.
The competitive Tekken scene used to be ruled by players from the Far East, but the current top ten contains four players from Pakistan.
Speaking at a recent tournament, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada told BBC Asian Network the dominance of pros from the country "came out of nowhere".


Tekken is a 3D beat 'em up where players fight each other in one-on-one bouts in best-of-three matches.
Arslan "Arslan Ash" Siddique became an overnight superstar on the competitive circuit when he claimed victory in the 2019 EVO fighting game tournament.
He went on to win the coveted title four more times, earning him all-timer status in the eyes of many fans.
Arslan, 29, is currently ranked 10th in the world after an early exit from the Red Bull Golden Letters Tournament in London, but fellow Pakistani pro Atif Butt holds the second spot in the world list.
It's clear that the country's become a force on the global stage, but the game's director still isn't sure how it got there.

"We never knew they were playing Tekken," Harada-san says.
"Even now we've never been to Pakistan, so I'm still quite interested to hear why they became so obsessed with Tekken and so good at the game."
The game's producer Michael Murray tells Asian Network that he "loved it when Arslan came on the scene".
"No-one knew him," he says.
"Then out of nowhere someone no-one's talking about comes along and you find this other community and then Arslan says it's not just him.
"He says they're all strong in Pakistan, and everyone's like 'what?'
"It was just such an amazing story and I still remember how exciting it was to hear that."

At the recent contest in London, Lim "Ulsan" Soo-hoon from South Korea won first place, beating Jae-hyun "CherryBerryMango" Kim in the grand final.
They were joined by players from the USA, Japan and Europe, demonstrating the global popularity of Tekken.
Harada-san has been working on the series for 30 years, and says the competitive scene really kicked off around the release of Tekken 7.
He tells Asian Network his mother cried when he first told her he wanted to pursue a career in video games, but now his family is "quite proud" when they see him in magazines.
"They're like, 'wow, you're actually doing something with it, that's good," he says.
Harada-san says he's glad Tekken "has continued for a long time and we've been able to come this far".
But he does confess to being "a bit sad" that it's the "only remaining major 3D fighting game franchise".
"It would be more interesting if there were other rivals, right?" he says.

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