A Danish esports company has signed a three-year deal that will see it bring nine major esports events to Malta and set up an operations centre in Ta’ Qali.
BLAST organised the first of those events, a professional Counterstrike tournament with a $500,000 prize pool dubbed BLAST Premier Bounty S2, this past weekend at the Malta Fairs and Convention Centre.
The event saw an average of 200,000 viewers per event, with viewership peaking at a high of 800,000, according to escharts.com.
Economy Minister Silvio Schembri visited BLAST studios and said the company’s decision to set up a base in Malta for these three years would help boost Malta’s clout in the esports sector.
“As outlined in Malta Vision 2050, we are creating opportunities for our youth by investing in high-quality partnerships, while building an innovative, resilient, and competitive economy,” he said.
Gaming Malta Chief Executive Ivan Filetti added that having BLAST in Malta “is about putting Malta firmly on the global esports map.”
Robbie Douek, CEO at BLAST said the company was thrilled to be setting up shop in Malta.
“Together with our partners GamingMalta, we look forward to shaping Malta’s future as a destination for world-class esports experiences, both for fans at home and here in the studio,” he said.