The Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has announced a new esports initiative, in the form of the Esports Integrated (ESI). It’s a new initiative which aims to “build a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive esports ecosystem” in the country. Carrying out the initiative is Impact Integrated.
Part of the initiative is catalysing the growth of esports in Malaysia. In the early stages, this involves setting up a platform to centralise and manage the esports ecosystem in the country. From there, a Malaysia Esports Circuit will be formed. This will consist of the Malaysia Esports League and the Malaysia Esports Championship.
Beyond that, the ESI will also hold annual Esports Conferences, with the first one planned for November this year. Going further, the initiative will also include developing a Capacity Building program. This program will focus on upskilling tournament and event organisers, team managers and coaches. Many of this will make use of the KBS’ official Esports Hub in Spacerubix. Puchong, which is slated to be compteled in 2021. The venue will serve as a venue for tournaments and events, as well as a training and networking ground for players, coaches and other industry players.
If you’re familiar with the work of Esports Malaysia (ESM), now known as the Malaysia Electronic Sports Federation (MESF), this should all sound very familiar. According to Impact Integrated CEO Ahmed Faris Amir, ESI has no legislative powers, and so will be focusing a lot of its efforts on advocacy. The ESI is also partnered with the MESF, and the two are currently discussing the differentiation of their roles.
