- Riot Games and Intel reveal this year’s edition has been expanded and will feature separate competitions for Riot Games’ popular titles – League of Legends, VALORANT and League of Legends: WildRift for the first time.
- More than 2,000 teams from across the region set to compete for glory in the IAC which will have a total prize fund of $130,000 USD – its biggest in the event’s history.
- During a virtual press conference, Intel also unveils more details of its new ARC GPUs and the 12th Generation processors and how they will help elevate the gaming experience.
Dubai, 13 April 2022: Riot Games and Intel have announced this year’s Intel Arabian Cup (IAC) competition will be the biggest in its history with a prize fund of $130,000 USD as part of their on-going efforts to develop the best talent in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Following the success of the previous two editions, the IAC returns this month and will be better than before with the event now split into three new competition categories that will be played across three of the most popular Riot Games’ titles for the first time. These are: League of Legends, VALORANT and League of Legends: WildRift with registration now open for teams to enter.
The restructured and expanded IAC will create a pathway for more than 2,000 professional and amateur teams to become overall champions with the increased competition enhancing the gaming experience. It will also provide an opportunity to qualify automatically, secure play-off berths and showcase their skills in front of thousands of online viewers from around the world.
The tournament, which will be held over the next 8 months, has attracted the best teams and players from across MENA including last season’s reigning champions Geekay Esports. The Saudi Arabian team will be among the 10 professional sides including eight of last year’s finalists that will be in action in the top-tier IAC Prestige. It will have two separate regular seasons followed by the Grand Finals as the teams aim to claim a share of the USD $100,000 prize pool.
To celebrate the launch of the third edition, Riot Games and Intel held a virtual press conference that was attended by key senior officials.
Karim Hachani, Head of Publishing MENA at Riot Games was joined by Marcus Kennedy – Intel’s General Manager of Client Computing Group, Gaming and Esports Segment and Ali Riza Kucuk – Intel’s Regional Consumer Director, Middle East, Turkey and Africa.
Karim Hachani explained their strategy to improve every stage of the IAC and why the competition can help bridge the gap with other regions.
He said: “Since the launch of the Arabian Cup in 2020, we have seen the competition grow immensely through strong participation and audience numbers. For example, there were over 6.1 million views throughout last year’s entire tournament which was incredible and is further proof that there is high demand for gaming across this region.
“As a leading gaming developer, we are fully aware that this industry is going from strength to strength and we are always exploring how to take things to the next level when it comes to gaming experiences in the MENA region. We listened to feedback from previous participating teams and with the on-going support of Intel we have reworked the format of this year’s Intel Arabian Cup that will not only significantly enhance the experience but also launch new tournaments based on our gaming titles which will help attract more experienced and aspiring players so they can be part of what has become one of the most popular gaming tournaments in the region.”
Marcus Kennedy also revealed more details about Intel’s new ARC graphic processor units and its 12th Generation processor.
He explained how these products and technology tools will help deliver more immersive and incredible experiences that will make gaming enjoyable.
With Intel on-board since its inaugural edition, Ali Riza Kucuk said supporting the IAC is part of their on-going efforts to develop the gaming landscape and their partnership with Riot Games is crucial to nurturing local talent and providing platforms.
The IAC will also consist of the IAC Playground amateur tournament which has a total prize fund of USD $30,000. Held separately in three different sub-regions: the GCC and Iraq, Levant and Egypt and North Africa, the top two teams from each region will advance to the second qualifier which can then lead to the IAC Prestige tournament.
Qualification to the IAC Prestige can also be secured through the IAC Qualifiers which takes place 4-9 May followed by Qualifier 2 from 3-7 July.
Hachani added: “This is another important step to nurture the incredible talent that we have in this region and we look forward to seeing some enthralling matches over the next few months.”
Fans can follow the action live with the competitions broadcasted on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.
For more information about the IAC or how to register, visit http://iac.leagueoflegends.com/
ABOUT RIOT GAMES
Riot Games was founded in 2006 to develop, publish, and support the most player-focused games in the world. In 2009, Riot released its debut title, League of Legends, to worldwide acclaim. League has gone on to be the most-played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports.
As League enters its second decade, Riot continues to evolve the game while delivering new experiences to players with Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra, VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and multiple work-in-progress titles. Riot is also building the world of Runeterra through multimedia projects across music, comic books, board games, and the upcoming animated series Arcane.
Founded by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill, and led by CEO Nicolo Laurent, Riot is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and has 2,500+ Rioters in 20+ offices worldwide.