The Youth Esports Program (YEP) recently got an added boost in its push after it struck a partnership with global game developer and publisher Riot Games Southeast Asia.
YEP, a collaboration between Mineski Philippines and the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) which aims to develop future esports talent in the country through students, said it is excited to gain another platform to further its vision through Riot.
Under the partnership, students that are part of YEP will gain access to Riot’s speakers through workshops and career talks, participation in activities organized by the publisher, and other support for student initiatives.
Among these initiatives are the weekly Legend of Runeterra tournaments for YEP chapter organizations.
Also, the partnership marks the inclusion of Valorant as an official tournament game in YEP’s soon-to-be-announced national cross-campus esports league.
“The Philippines has always been one of our most important markets and we have been consistently blown away by the passion and talent discovered within the community here. We are excited to partner with the Youth Esports Program and to support their efforts in nurturing the next generation of esports and game industry professionals,” said Chris Tran, Head of Esports for Riot Games Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, of their decision to partner with YEP.
“We’re very happy and excited to have Riot Games be part of the program. We are aligned on our objective of raising the level of esports to the level of other varsity sports in schools. Together, we hope to create the infrastructure needed for students to responsibly pursue their passions in the exciting industry of esports and gaming. The Philippines’ best professional teams of the future will come from the current youth.” YEP Director Marlon Marcelo, for his part, said.
YEP was unveiled in February this year. It aims to establish a coalition of student esports organizations in campuses across the country as accredited YEP chapters, and support student esports initiatives through career opportunities, event support, esports skills development and more. – Michael Angelo S. Murillo
