ONE Esports and Marriott International team up in new gaming talk show

ONE Esports has partnered with Marriott International’s travel program Marriott Bonvoy to launch Gamer's Paradise, a 15-episode variety talk show series featuring esports athletes, gaming and influencer talent, and industry experts. Each episode will centre on a theme, from deep dives into popular gaming titles to explorations of broad industry trends, while also highlighting hotels and resorts from the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio in Asia, to enable viewers to immerse themselves in travel destinations through the lens of gaming culture.

According to a joint statement by ONE Esports and Marriott, the show aims to provide content that "celebrates the diversity of gaming and esports culture" across Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Some of the guests in the show include League of Legends player Teddy from Korean esports team Kwangdong Freecs, Dota 2 personality and host Sheever, Japanese Street Fighter player Kawano, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang players Edward and OHEB from Filipino esports team Blacklist International, popular cosplayer and streamer from Singapore Kiyo, and gaming personalities Clara Mongstar from Indonesia and Megan Young from the Philippines, among others.

Gamer’s Paradise will premier across ONE Esports’ digital channels such as Facebook, Twitch, YouTube, as well as AfreecaTV, on 4 July 2022. The program will air in English every Monday, with subtitles in Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. 

Carlos Alimurung, CEO, ONE Esports said that the goals for Gamer’s Paradise are to celebrate esports, provide its audience with deep insights into the ecosystem and community, and share the stories of gaming and esports heroes who ignite the world with strength, hope, dreams, and inspiration. Julie Purser, vice president, marketing, loyalty and partnerships, Marriott International, APAC added, "This series is rooted in travel, and we hope to showcase how the digital and gaming worlds draw inspiration, energy, and community from the transformative power of travel."

ONE Esports previously partnered with insurance company FWD, Marriott International’s travel program Marriott Bonvoy, and fast food giant McDonald’s Philippines in October last year as part of its ongoing efforts to scale the esports ecosystem globally. Carlos Alimurung, CEO of ONE Esports, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE then that it works best with partners who want to take an active role in delivering its mission; to share and celebrate the stories of esports heroes who ignite the world with hope, strength, dreams, and inspiration. "The most successful brands who have entered esports are the ones who prove their commitment to make esports as huge, prestigious, and developed as the biggest traditional stick and ball sports franchises. ONE Esports and our partners are on a journey to make that happen for esports," he said.

Separately, ONE Esports also partnered with HSBC in February this year to tackle financial fitness by creating tailormade content to help players with in-game resource management in multiplayer online battle arena games, with useful hints and tips. The partnership kicked off as a pilot in Malaysia and Indonesia, and will also see both parties tie up on 10 community tournaments and one major event this year. Through this partnership, expert advice will also be designed to be transferrable to life outside of gaming. At the same time, ONE's analytics and insights team will also conduct research and produce a report on the Southeast Asian esports community's preferences and behaviours related to financial services. 

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