The Monaco Esports Federation, Monaco eSports, and Nicecactus have all joined forces to launch an annual esports event, the Monaco Gaming Show.
The event will run competitions in two titles, Rocket League and Fortnite, with Amateur and semi-professional players being given the opportunity to compete directly with professionals. The Monaco Gaming Show will also host influencers, esports figures, and esports partners.
Competitors will have the opportunity to win EUR40,000 (GBP35,529) in cash prizes — EUR20,000 (GBP17,758) for Fortnite and Rocket League respectively. The Fortnite final takes place on December 18th while the Rocket League final commences on December 19th. Online qualifiers begin on 4th December.
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This year’s event is a smaller-scale version of what people can expect in years to come, Nicecactus told Esports Insider, with this year’s project hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The goal with this project is to associate the innovation and expertise of Nicecactus to the authenticity of a place such as Monaco,” Mike Hessabi, Nicecactus CEO, commented. “We believe that this competition will bring something unique to esports and the Principality, and will become a reference for young players willing to reach the top of the discipline.”
Nicecactus, headquartered in Valbonne, France with an office in the United States, is an esports platform that among other things facilitates tournaments at all skill levels. The platform will serve as the event engine for the Monaco Gaming Show.
Louis Ducruet, President of Monaco Esports Federation stated: “Our objective with the Monaco Gaming Show is to produce a pure esports event that can grow exponentially every year and establish the Principality of Monaco at the top of the esports scene. Monaco is recognised as a major sporting venue, and esports is no exception.
“We also want this project to support the development and success of young Monegasque and international esport talents and help them become tomorrow’s esports superstars. Our partnership with Nicecactus will help this objective become a reality.”
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The Monaco Esports Federation was established in 2017, and recently joined the International Esports Federation (IESF). The former’s goal is to “develop an esports structure, similar to any sport, to support esports events and to promote the detection, recruitment and development of young local and international talents”. Monaco is a high-income territory that hosts some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, and the Rolex ATP Masters in tennis.
Esports Insider says: The Monaco Gaming Show seems to be Monaco’s attempt at introducing the prestige of the principality to esports. The event will give amateur and semi-pro players in both Fortnite and Rocket League a chance to compete against full-time pros, which goes along with Nicecactus’ emphasis on the importance of facilitating grassroots esports. It seems the prize pool would need to be bigger to attract the world’s best orgs and players, but this year’s event is smaller in scale because of the pandemic. Time will tell how the event fares long-term.