Call of Duty and Tekken enthusiasts were in for a treat at the weekend as professional esports competitors from all over Europe gathered at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali for the seventh edition of the Malta Esports Festival.

Organised by GMR Entertainment and European Esports Gaming (EEG), this year’s edition saw over 300 competitors, around 200 of whom travelled to Malta specifically for the event, competing for the top spot in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Tekken 7.

The two tournaments had a prize pool of €5,000 and €1,060 respectively.

On Saturday, some tournaments had to be postponed due to the gale force wind that blew indiscriminately around the island, leaving rampant destruction in its wake.

Kersten Chircop, from GMR Entertainment, and Reuben Grech, founder of EEG, told Times of Malta that the mounting interest in tournaments such as this was living testament to the fact that the esports industry was continually becoming realistic and viable for Maltese people.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest, even from local competitors, who can see that the quality of teams and prize money are always on the increase and the future is opening up in seeing esports as a viable career,” Mr Grech said.

“Had you asked me five years ago if I saw a career in esports going anywhere, I would have given you a different answer,” Mr Chircop said.

“But this year alone, Malta has organised an international convention dedicated to esports and software development that included a lot of local participation, and the government launched a national strategy for esports and development along the same lines as it did for iGaming. So people are noticing that the growth and support for the industry is there.”

GMR Entertainment started as Gamers.com.mt, an online platform for the Maltese gaming community. A pet project initiated by Mr Chircop, 28, while still in school, friends who helped him run the site in its infancy are now counted as colleagues and the site has resulted in full-time work for the past seven years.

Similarly, Mr Grech, 22, who has just finished a degree in finance, started organising leagues for fun two years ago and today oversees a platform that sees hundreds of teams from all over Europe signing up for his tournaments.

To play at this level, it’s basically your job

Both Mr Chircop and Mr Grech cite their collaboration as instrumental in drawing such a large international following to a locally organised event. Combining EEG’s sizable social media following and GMR’s extensive experience in organising local gaming events has certainly allowed the festival to flourish, they say.

Samuel Nevin, whose fledgling team Electrify Esports is making its debut at the tournament, said his role as the company’s CEO was a 24/7 job.

“I never sleep,” Mr Nevin, 20, told Times of Malta.

His team was among the top 16 competing in a Call of Duty tournament yesterday. The UK-based team was doing well for its first outing and Mr Nevin has a singular focus to keep taking the team to new heights.

Playing across different platforms, the team plays FIFA 20 and Counter Strike as well as Call of Duty, with active plans to scout more players and expand into new tournaments.

“Good players have to be able to learn from their mistakes. They have to be committed, they have to be reliable and they have to have some raw talent there as well to be able to build upon,” Mr Nevin says.

“We always look for the highest quality of players because generally they have the highest chance of winning.”

Dedication is certainly the name of the game, however, as players have to be constantly willing to improve and practise their skills to stay on top of the competition, on average between six to seven hours a day.

“To play at this level, it’s basically your job,” Mr Nevin says.

Esports largely thrives as a career through endorsement and sponsorship deals, so the more viewers and followers a team and its players draw, the better opportunities they are able to find.

Companies, such as Electrify Esports, often pay their team members a monthly salary and cover tournament expenses.

“We give players an opportunity to promote their personal brands on a big stage,” Mr Nevin says.

“Every player needs a breakthrough and these events are an ideal way to make connections and gain exposure. It forwards individual careers and makes the industry bigger.”

While many family members have struggled to understand, Mr Nevin says that if he keeps on track he can see a long career in esports. But, ultimately, he says, he does it because he enjoys it and the sense of community the industry can build.

“Before people just sat gaming in their rooms whereas now we come together and better ourselves as a group and as a community.”