Singapore
The CEO says the decision was in part to “troll” a Straits Times Forum letter which opined that e-sports should not be considered a sport.
Team Singapore (foreground) among those at the recently concluded Razer SEA Games e-sports bootcamp. (Photo: Razer)
SINGAPORE: Gaming company Razer will be ploughing S$10 million over the next 12 months to grow Singapore’s e-sports and gaming industry, CEO Tan Min-Liang promised.
In a Facebook post on Monday (Sep 9), Mr Tan said he read about Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing’s comments on the Governments efforts to supporting gaming and e-sports in Singapore in Parliament last week. He said he felt “incredibly grateful” for all the support all these years.
READ: Several measures in place to support local video gaming, e-sports industries, says Chan Chun Sing
He also pointed to the company’s office with about 500 employees today and a new Southeast Asia headquarters being built here, as examples of being committed to Singapore’s development in this area even though he founded the company in the United States.
Mr Tan said he would like to “give back and do more for gaming in Singapore” after Mr Chan’s comments.
He committed S$10 million in funding over the next 12 months for gaming and e-sports activities in Singapore. This includes supporting local teams and investing in such companies here or founded by Singaporeans.
The funding will also go toward supporting the Singapore team heading to this year’s SEA Games, where e-sports will be a medalled sport for the first time, the CEO said.
READ: Team Singapore to field its biggest away contingent for the SEA Games
“We are one of the largest e-sports brands in the world, and personally as a Singaporean, I’m looking forward to giving back and doing more for my country,” Mr Tan wrote, adding a call for like-minded Singaporeans to get in touch and work on this together.
He added that the decision was in part to “troll” a Straits Times Forum letter, which opined that e-sports should not be considered a sport.
The letter writer, Juliana Foo, wrote: “The widely accepted definition of sport is an activity that needs physical effort and skill. While gaming requires effort and skill, I question its physical challenges.”
In response, Mr Tan said: “I thought I would put $10 million into developing e-sports in Singapore just to troll the letter writer.”
