All Things Gaming, Across All Platforms, Right Here at GameStart

All Things Gaming, Across
All Platforms, Right Here at GameStart

From expert insights to the
latest content, GameStart 2017 promises to delight
every gamer

Singapore, 4 October 2017 – Organiser Eliphant announced a series of updates today for
GameStart 2017 (#GameStart2017), Southeast Asia’s Premier
Game Convention.

Industry professionals can look forward to a line-up of acclaimed
seasoned veterans at the inaugural SEA Summit business conference on 12
and 13 October. The second edition of International Mobile Gaming Awards (South
East Asia edition) on 13 October will unveil the region’s best-loved
games.  High-profile tournaments and exciting content and experiences
await esports fans and all who love gaming on 14 and 15 October 2017, at
the Southeast Asia Major and the cyberpunk themed GameStart 2017.

Key Updates include:

●        Glean insights from acclaimed international and
local veterans in Inaugural SEA SUMMIT

The SEA SUMMIT, jointly organized by IMGA and Eliphant, will see
industry veterans share their insights on game trends and development, business
and marketing. The B2B conference will see 35 speakers, including acclaimed
game director YOKO TARO and producer Yosuke Saito, who produced one of 2017’s
top games, NieR: Automata. This will be the first time the two will be making
an appearance at a Singapore event.

Topics include insight from game publishers and marketing strategies,
and also includes several panels on a hot topic – esports. Panels will cover
topics such as why brands sponsor gaming and esports, and what it takes to be a
professional gamer. Details on the Conference schedule and the Speaker List are
available at https://theseasummit.com/conference-schedule and https://theseasummit.com/speakers.

The SEA Summit is supported by Venue Sponsor, Pixel Studios, and is free
to attend, but pre-registration is required to attend the conference, with
limited seats remaining at www.theseasummit.com.

●        South-east Asia’s best-loved mobile games to be
unveiled in Singapore

The awards ceremony for the second edition of IMGA SEA will be held on
the evening of 13 October at the PIXEL Building. An all-star judging
panel of international gaming experts will determine the best among 65
shortlisted games.  More information at http://sea.imgawards.com.

●        GameStart 2017 unveils two new zones and brings
back favourites

The new GameStart TableTop (GST) gaming area will feature activities for
both novices and veterans. Visitors can rent or bring their own games to play,
compete in tabletop tournaments, win prize tickets, or check out booths to
purchase their favourite games. Exhibitors include Wizards of the Coast, who
will bring the latest content release for Magic: The Gathering, Grey Ogre Games
who will be retailing games and also running a tournament for Final Fantasy
Trading Card Game, and Gamersaurus Rex, who will bring Warhammer 40,000 to the
event.

The Founders Base, GameStart’s special indie area, will showcase games
from both local and international content creators, thanks to partnerships with
other game events Taipei Game Show and Game
Prime (Indonesia).

Exhibitors at GameStart 2017 include ARTBLOVK
GALLERY, a local haven for game and comic artists to showcase their work. The
ARTBLOVK selections showcase at GameStart 2017 will feature a curated selection
of artwork from previous and current shows running at the gallery, with
originals up for sale at the convention. Visitors can look forward to live
drawing sessions as well, where they can take home the art pieces as a
souvenir.

Returning to GameStart for a second year is the
Doujin Market, a fan favourite. The Doujin Market is a space for creators to
showcase their work at GameStart. After the success of the Doujin Market in
GameStart 2016, organisers will be expanding the market area to double the number
of stalls this year.

For the first time, GameStart will also cater an
area to two things close to a game developer’s heart – food and alcohol.
Introducing The Drinkery, a themed lounge for attendees to refresh and
recharge, featuring food stalls and a bar. The Drinkery is presented by
Samsung, and offers visitors the convenience of ordering their food and
beverages via Samsung Pay – its mobile payment service. Visitors will also get
to try out the latest Samsung technology at the experience zone, including the
Samsung Gear VR.

●        Top players to battle it out in the largest edition
of South East Asia Major, inaugural SEA Mobile Major tournament launched

High level tournament action awaits at South East Asia Major (SEAM)
2017, Southeast Asia’s largest and internationally renowned fighting game
tournament, held in GameStart 2017, with top overseas and local players vying
for over USD 60,000 in prize money. Big tournaments include the Asia Regional
Finals for Capcom Pro Tour 2017 (Street Fighter V), Asia Regionals for Tekken
World Tour 2017 (Tekken 7) and one of only six Marvel vs Capcom Infinite
”Battle of the Stones” special tournaments in the world, and the first Asia
Championship for Windjammers (highly popular retro game that has been
re-released for PS4). In addition, Injustice 2, Guilty Gear XRD 2, Gundam
Versus and BlazBlue Central Fiction tournaments will be held. 2016’s edition
saw challengers from 15 countries descend in Singapore for the event, and over
1 million views on the live streams. 

Other tournaments announced include the annual GameStart FIFA 18
Tournament, which returns on October 14-15. Organised by BEast of the East
and [OoE]Xtr3me3, the tournament is presented by PlayStation. The champion
stands to win $1,000, a brand new PS4 console and HyperX headphones. Fans of
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) can also look forward to the GameStart
2017’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Tournament, held in partnership with the
PUBG Singapore community.

The inaugural SEA Mobile Major 2017, a new tournament series that brings
esports for mobile games to players in the region, will be held in GameStart
2017. SEA Mobile Major 2017 will host the 1st official Shadowverse tournament
in Southeast Asia – the Shadowverse SEA Open. Participants compete for a piece
of the USD 5,000 prize pool, and the winner will get a free trip to watch the
RAGE Shadowverse World Grand Prix in Japan in December.

Eliphant also unveiled its new talent management arm, VERSUS, which
currently manages top players and commentators from Singapore, Japan, Hong
Kong, Korea and the US.

The Best in Gaming to Delight Every Gamer

The official partners and sponsors of GameStart 2017 include: Lenovo
(Official Gaming PC) – who will be showcasing Legion series of gaming laptops
and desktops, together with League of Legends and Wargaming, both of which are
making their debut at GameStart this year, HyperX (Official Headset sponsor),
Zombits.co (Official Marketing partner), Xmashed Gear (Official Apparel
partner), Armaggeddon (Quest Presenting sponsor), Monster Energy (Official
Energy Drink sponsor), The Neo Tokyo Project (Official Cosplay partner), No
Average Joe (Official Video partner), XSplit (Official Streaming partner),
BEast of the East (Official Esports partner), and  MyRepublic returns as
the Official Fibre Broadband Partner for the third year running.

Other sponsors include: Samsung, Razer, PlayStation Plus, Freshly Pressed
Socks, Secret Lab, Garena, PlayStation Music, iblazr2, ARTBLOVK GALLERY,
Kinetiquettes, Saint Games, and Operation Overhaul.

Tickets and official merchandise are available for sale at ticketing.gamestart.asia.

“GameStart started with a vision to celebrate the love for all things
gaming – from classic games that we loved since young to the latest
technology-enabled offerings. This year, we are pleased to be able to truly
achieve that. With the support of passionate international and local partners,
as well as the gaming community, we look forward to put up our best show ever
this year,” said Elicia Lee, Founder of GameStart Asia.

The SEA Summit and IMGA SEA Ceremony will be held at Pixel Building,
while GameStart 2017 will be at Suntec Convention Centre. More updates and
information are available on www.gamestart.asia,
and www.facebook.com/GameStart.Asia.

GameStart 2017 – Key Dates

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About GameStart Asia

GameStart Asia is Singapore’s largest gaming event and has gained
reputation as a premier gaming convention in Southeast Asia since its debut in
2014. Organised by Eliphant Pte Ltd, the convention seeks to bring everything
gaming-related to audiences in Asia. In addition to triple A games and
exclusives, GameStart also supports the local gaming and pop culture
communities, from cosplay to indie developers and artists. In 2017, the event
has expanded into the B2B arena, organising the inaugural SEA Summit business
conference, in partnership with the International Mobile Gaming Awards.