'The Greatest Gamer' reality contest comes to Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — "The Greatest Gamer" competition is set to arrive in the Philippines, brought in cooperation between TikTok and Smart Communications.

The Greatest Gamer is a reality gaming competition that will feature 10 amateur players housed in one villa for three weeks. They will take part in various challenges that will showcase who has what it takes to become a professional esports player.

"We are thrilled to bring The Greatest Gamer to the Philippines, where there is a thriving and welcoming gaming community that aspires to grow and excel as skillful gamers. The Greatest Gamer Philippines showcases the journey to becoming a professional gamer as well as engaging the gaming community by providing relevant entertainment, highlighting the skills, passion, and dedication that is necessary to excel in Esports. We also hope to empower the local gaming community, nurture its growth, and provide a space for enthusiasts to continue displaying their skills and creativity," said Vanessa Brown, TikTok’s director for business development in Asia-Pacific.

According to TikTok, there are about 43 million gamers in the Philippines alone, making it the 25th largest global market in terms of game revenue. This makes the decision to bring the competition to the country a natural one.

"We were looking for another market in Southeast Asia [and] Philippines is a natural choice. There's a good market here and a very passionate, engaged and big esports and gaming community. We were seeing that come through via TikTok. It was a pretty easy decision to bring The Greatest Gamer to the Philippines," Brown added during the competition's press launch.

TikTok first launched the competition in 2021 in Indonesia with now pro player Dede "VyrNoCure" Firman taking the crown and initially signing a contract with EVOS Legends. He is Bigetron Alpha's EXP laner.

The Philippine version of the reality competition will see the winner take home a cash prize worth P250,000 and a professional esports contract with Smart's Mobile Legends team, Smart Omega.

“Smart has been a leading patron of Philippine Esports because we've always believed that Filipinos have the passion, talent, and skill to dominate in this field. As the official telco provider of TikTok’s The Greatest Gamer Philippines, we aim to elevate the players’ gameplay experience with our fastest and best mobile network. We believe that this would also translate to an enjoyable viewing experience for all Esports fans," said Smart Head of Prepaid and Content Lloyd Manaloto.

In terms of the competition's impact on the local Mobile Legends scene, Moonton Games Marketing Lead for Esports Harry Leonardo believes this new addition will have a great impact in terms of grassroots talents.

"There are a lot of passionate gamers in the provinces. Looking at the grassroots, there are a lot of potential players that are waiting to be discovered. [The Greatest Gamer] will be a way for them to be discovered. Social Media, especially platforms like TikTok, is a great way to discover talents and I think it's an advantage especially with grassroots talents out there," said Leonardo.

Audition for The Greatest Gamer Philippines will begin on May 24. Aspiring players may submit their audition videos by posting them on Tiktok using the official audition filter, with hashtag #TheGreatestGamerPH, and tagging the official @thegreatestgamer and @smartcommunications TikTok accounts which they must also be following. The audition video must introduce the player and showcase their Mobile Legends skills.