Abu Dhabi to host MENA’s first Amazon University Esports Masters Series

Amazon University Esports Masters MENA Series (Amazon UEM) is officially kicking off its first edition in the region with a live event hosted by Pixel Gaming’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi from July 14-17. University teams from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and Morocco will participate in the event taking place in the UAE’s capital.

The shortlisted teams will be competing with each other in Riot Games’ most important titles: League of Legends and VALORANT.

Organised by MENATech Entertainment, Amazon UEM gives students the chance to compete internationally and represent their institution and country. The qualifiers for this competition take place in April and May, and the eight best teams from the MENA region will venture towards the grand finals, to be held live in July.

Read: Amazon University Esports to expand to UAE, Saudi Arabia with MENATech

Amazon UEM MENA will not only recognise its first edition’s ‘Champions’, but will also provide students with the opportunity to get a share of the competition prize pool, which will reach $10,000 ($5,000 for the winner of each competition). These grand finals will be broadcasted live, in English and Arabic, and will include other activities, such as viewing parties with local streamers and influencers.

Mario Pérez, MENATech Entertainment’s CEO, feels “proud” to see how the first Amazon UEM MENA final is now a reality, after they started operations in the region in October 2021. “We can only thank our partners, Amazon, and Riot Games, who have helped us make the dream of all gamers in the region possible. These Finals, and other events to be announced in the next few months, are just the beginning of a beautiful story that we will build together with one goal: turning MENA into a point of reference in the esports ecosystem worldwide.”

Gaming revenues have skyrocketed, according to a report by Statista, since as of January 2021, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Morocco yielded millions of dollars in revenue from the gaming industry. Saudi Arabia has taken the lead with over Dhs680m, followed by UAE with Dhs280m, in revenue.