Comsol powers Soweto’s 3rd annual eKasi Tech Fest Esports Tournament

The third annual eKasi Tech Fest Esports Tournament, held in Soweto in late-June, proved to be massive success once again.  

As part of our sponsorship, Comsol provided enterprise-grade connectivity, powering various multiplayer games happening simultaneously. The result was astonishing network speeds and ultra-low latency that ensured the very best in gaming experiences.

The event drew over 100 gamers, cheered on by no less than 280 audience members over the course of the two days, plus a handful of exhibitors that included blue-chip event sponsors. The network also made it possible to livestream the event to over 80 more audience members in countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Zimbabwe.

As the only township event of its kind, organiser Gabriel Ramokotjo says it provides a vital platform in an industry sector that’s sorely under-represented in South Africa:

“Our objective is to raise awareness of the opportunities in the gaming industry – in areas like game design, game development, animation, gaming centres, esports opportunities and more. Gaming can be a great way to learn new digital and problem-solving skills that will be needed in the future.”

eSports hit the global news recently when a 16-year old in the United States won the first-ever Fortnite World Cup – taking him an astonishing $3 million in prize money.

Back in South Africa, Ramokotjo adds that “thanks to our team and to our strong set of partners, we were able to show just what the township gaming market is capable of achieving,” adding that one of the biggest challenges to township economies is often not having access to powerful connectivity.

“With access to the internet, it becomes possible to develop games from home. So it unlocks new opportunities, new routes to market for local game developers.”

This year’s event boasted four title games, including the wildly popular 1st person shooter, Counter Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) Tournament. “For us to have the boldness of hosting a multiplayer version of Counterstrike, where things can happen in an instant, demonstrates the level of confidence we have in the network,” explains Ramokotjo.

“Many were surprised to see that this can be achieved from a wireless network.”

Ramokotjo hopes that events like this continue to grow in scope and impact, giving young people another viable route to prosperity and exposing the world of gaming to a new audience. In time, he believes we will see more South African gaming studios opening up, and more locally-produced and locally-relevant games.

ENDS