Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF) to be staged at Cyberport’s new esports venue in July

Two-week “DE*Spark” series packs exhilarating esports matches and activities for all

HONG KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 24 June 2019 – Fulfilling Cyberport’s mission to drive robust growth of the regional esports and digital entertainment industry, Cyberport today announces the launch of the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF). Staged on 16 July, DELF will gather esports icons and influencers, industry elites and celebrity gamers to decode the global prospects of the industry, tap into regional dynamics and market trends, and examine the development of esports and digital entertainment from all angles — as well as hosting hotly anticipated live celebrity esports games.

DELF will also kick off the two-week “DE*Spark” series in July — an all-new esports extravaganza which includes forums, competitions and experience day to help enhance the business community and  public’s understanding of the esports and digital entertainment industry.

Professional gamers from Japan and South Korea compete live

DELF 2019 is the first esports focused international forum to be hosted in Hong Kong, and will serve as the grand opening of Cyberport’s brand new esports venue. Boasting the theme “Powering up a Vibrant Esports Ecosystem”, a dynamic program of keynote speeches and panel discussions will welcome regional specialists from all over the world. Experts from the UK, Israel, Germany, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and Mainland China, together with local professionals, will shine the spotlight on hot topics across the esports ecosystem, from expansion of gaming, industry development in contrasting markets to growing integration opportunities throughout the Greater Bay Area, revealing the huge economic potential of this emerging industry from a comprehensive range of perspectives.

Visitors will be engaged by the event’s three themed zones, each allowing the participants to encounter first-hand the latest esports technology, entrepreneurship and competition development. Meanwhile, spectators will feel the adrenaline watching a number of exciting live esports contests taking place on the main stage, including a League of Legends showdown between top local esports squad Hong Kong Attitude and a dream team from Southeast Asia.

The stadium will also host a series of competitive esports star games. Korea’s top professional women’s team Rox Caracal will compete with Hong Kong’s first female professional esports team PandaCute, in the League of Legends women’s battle. Meanwhile an all-star team from TVB’s eSports Central programme will challenge the established esports team Nova eSports on the FIFA field, where a team of Bird & Bird lawyers will also face down a team of Deloitte accountants. Meanwhile in the individual competition, the formidable esports star Human Bomb will play against Japan’s Yuya Tanida in the Street Fighter contest. An audience of up to 400 are expected on the day, to experience live the immersive atmosphere at the venue, and will also have the chance to participate in a backstage tour.

Eric Chan, Chief Public Mission Officer of Cyberport, said: “The vigorous development of the global esports industry — not to mention the evolving ecosystem, economic value, and growing social acceptance — means this is the ideal time for Hong Kong to promote and engage the ballooning esports industry. DELF 2019 is an unparalleled platform for the business community and the public to deepen their understanding of the esports industry, to connect key stakeholders in the field and unlock infinite business opportunities.

“Esports is not just a fleeting fad or passing trend, but a serious, ever-expanding industry, and DELF will gather industry leaders, experts, professional esports players, and enthusiasts to work together to promote local esports culture. Cyberport will continue its efforts to optimise Hong Kong’s digital ecosystem, and to maintain Hong Kong’s competitive advantage as an esports hub through talent cultivation, competition and technology development.”

The main forum will bring together more than 30 heavyweight speakers from worldwide industry giants, including: Bernhard Mogk, SVP of Global Brand Partnerships of ESL Gaming; Cheolhag Kim, Secretary General of Korea e-Sports Association; Yuya Tanida, Representative Director, CEO of WellPlayed Inc; Sam Cooke, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Esports Insider; and Eduard Castell, Hong Kong delegate of Spain’s top real-life football league, LaLiga. Also in attendance will be representatives from leading esports firm Razer; industry expert Cecilia Yau, Partner in the Entertainment and Media Practice of PwC Hong Kong, and executives from NVIDIA, AWS, Zotac, Zenox etc., as well as local esports icons including Derek Cheung, Chairman of Hong Kong eSports Federation and Eric Yeung, President of Esports Association Hong Kong.

Three themed experience zones to promote esports culture

As well as the insightful speeches and panel discussions, visitors will also get a chance to enjoy a first-hand esports experience through the three experience areas, which are themed as the Game Zone, Tech Zone and Venturer Zone.

The Game Zone will include multiple play areas for gamers, offering the chance to experience the latest AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) games, including a racing game which simulates a racer training experience, developed by start-up company Godzpeed. Also on offer will be an AR battle experience, requiring team cooperation and strategy, from Japan’s HADO, a locally developed VR gaming box VAR BOX, a remote control robot battle game from Ganker EX, and the latest games from Xbox and PlayStation.

The Tech Zone will focus on the latest innovation of game design and hardware developers, allowing industry leaders to reveal the tremendous potential of the newest frontier in data analysis and esports technology.

Meanwhile the Venturer Zone will showcase the latest games and esports developments by over 20 startups from Cyberport and across Hong Kong, with a view to sparking new inspiration for digital entertainment and esports development. Esports entrepreneurs and represnetatives from higher education institutions will also share insights about the future of esports, engaging with topics including the entrepreneurship, professional development and cyber wellness.

DE*Spark to lead a new era of entertainment

In addition to the one-day main forum, Cyberport will continue to trigger the esports and digital entertainment fever throughout the second half of July. DELF will be immediately followed by Asia’s first Blockchain Gamer Connects summit on 17-18 July in Cyperport. This international conference, which was well received in San Francisco, Helsinki and London, provides opportunities for market players of mobile games and the blockchain industry to expand collaboration and business opportunities.

Following this comes a series of themed events to be held in late July, including the competitive LoL Campus League 2019 Finals (July 20-21), Seniors’ Esports & Experience Day (July 27), and the latest edition of the annual calendar highlight Hong Kong e-Sports & Music Festival (July 26-28) — collectively facilitating the development of esports and digital entertainment in Hong Kong.

For more information and the latest events, please visit: http://delf.cyberport.hk/

For information about “DE*Spark”, please visit: https://delf.cyberport.hk/en/de-spark

Members of the media interested in interviewing the speakers can fill in the interview request form and email it to wendy.chan@creativegp.com by 9 July 2019.

Attachment 1: DE*SPARK Program list

Appendix 1  – DE*SPARK Program list