Shams Media Services to Partner with Calyx to bring local gaming community together in Esports tournaments

Shams Media Services is partnering with UAE-based Esports organiser Calyx to bring local gaming communities together in Esports tournaments.

Calyx has planned a multi-tournament cycle that will take place over the next six months to grow the local gaming community and appeal to the region’s ever-growing Esports fan base.

Shams Media Services, for its part, will give logistical and regulatory support to Calyx partners in order to conduct tournaments and grow the local and regional gaming and Esports business.

His Excellency Dr Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams) and Managing Director of Sharjah Media Services, said: “Shams was launched with the ambitious objective of not only developing the media and creative industries in Sharjah, but also to transform and position the emirate as a global centre for innovation. Gaming has solidified its place at the heart of creative industries; we are excited to play a part in its national and regional expansion and to see the UAE become a hub for gaming and Esports in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Meanwhile, Fagr Kassim Ali, Director of Shams Media Services, noted: “As part of our mandate to deliver winning media products and services for Sharjah Media City and its members, we are involved in an array of creative sectors and Esports is a promising industry with tremendous potential. We are always on the lookout for opportunities to build strong partnerships that can help grow the creative and media industries in Sharjah, and with that in mind, we are delighted to be joining hands with local companies like Calyx and Hockwood Games to bring local gaming communities together in Esports tournaments.”

Calyx is dedicated to expanding Esports’ footprint in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and has made significant progress in the last two years in developing an international Esports platform for the region.

“The MENA region has shown incredible potential, with a revenue share accounting for a significant percentage of the global Esports market cap,” said Yahya Habib, Co-Founder and Global Head of Business Strategy and Operations at Calyx.

Further explained, “The advent of multiple brands and local partners now recognising the importance of Esports as a medium for tapping into previously hard-to-reach demographics has significantly improved prospects for all involved”.

Calyx, a subsidiary of Hockwood Games, has set ambitious development goals for the game sector, with the UAE as a staging ground. Calyx has broadcasted and executed over 100 Esports events across numerous gaming titles, from conception to implementation.

Hockwood Games Chairman Ishan Saksena said:“Going forward, the drive to bring across more local Esports tournaments and media opportunities in the country is an important step in the development of Esports solutions in the region, and our partnership with Shams is one of many such plans for the future.”

Shams Media Services handles all parts of film production, gaming, public relations, marketing, and social media impact as the commercial arm of Sharjah Media City (Shams). It has formed various alliances that have resulted in the production of Shams’ debut film, the establishment of Connected Circles Middle East, the launch of the Omnes Influencers platform, and various other projects.