Government Unveils National Esports Hub With State-Of-The-Art Equipment In Puchong
Professional players and casual gamers alike will now have access to a tournament hall, multiple gaming rooms, PlayStations, gaming PCs, and more.
By Gowri Chitra — 26 Apr 2022, 10:29 AM
Last week, 21 April, marked the opening of ESI Hub, the new national esports hub
The opening ceremony was presided over by Deputy Secretary General (Strategic) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Puan Ramona binti Mohd Razali.
"The completion of ESI Hub is a great signal for local esports development. Stakeholders now have access to state-of-the-art facilities offered at ESI Hub for their training programmes, talent searches, and competitions," she said during the launch.
She further added, "The youths especially can also participate in tournaments and programmes conducted here, such as ESI MasterClass and Malaysia Esports League 2022 (MEL22), to start in July."
Located strategically within Spacerubix, a popular youth hub for sports and community events in Puchong, ESI Hub will become the go-to place for Malaysian youths to develop and sharpen their skills in esports
Watch the video below for a sneak preview of the hub:
Athletes, professional players, teams, coaches, content creators, and casual gamers will now have access to all kinds of facilities, as well as state-of-the-art gaming equipment.
Boasting a tournament hall and 13 fully-equipped gaming rooms that are convertible to training rooms or mini studios, ESI Hub can accommodate a capacity of approximately 200 visitors.
The gaming equipment available at the hub includes 11 PlayStation consoles with a pair of controllers per unit, as well as 22 Gaming PCs.
ESI Hub is now open for a trial period. Those interested to check it out can contact the hub directly to tour the facilities and try out the gaming equipment.
ESI Hub is easily accessible as it is well connected via major highways, a nearby LRT station, and other public transportation. There is also ample parking space available at the hub.
The project of creating a national esports hub was first announced back in February 2021, as part of Budget 2020's allocation for esports development
It was part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports' Strategic Plan for Esports Development 2020-2025, to reduce costs and set up time and manpower requirements to enable medium-sized events to be held regularly.
The hub will also serve other esports strategic initiatives by the Ministry of Youth and Sports through Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) and Esports Integrated (ESI). This includes the national esports league and championship, capacity-building programmes, and industry support for esports venues.
Ahmed Faris Amir, CEO of ESI, said, "ESI Hub will become the home for Malaysia's esports and the focal point for local esports ecosystem, and this provides opportunities for companies and brands to collaborate and provide sponsorship.
"From direct engagement to co-organising mini tournaments, to brand activation, ESI Hub is suitable for brands who are seeking high impact engagement with the local esports community. We invite all within the esports ecosystem to include ESI Hub as part of their development and training programmes."
Following the launch of the hub, ESI will be announcing the second edition of MEL22 and the national regulatory guidelines for the esports industry, as part of ESI's Phase 2 roadmap
