The Minister for Presidency, Economy and Enterprise in functions, and president of Andorra Business, Jordi Gallardo, and the CEO ofEncom, company which manages the DreamHack brand in Spain, Arturo Castelló announced at a press conference on Wednesday that Andorra will become an official host of theEsports City League, the largest amateur electronic sports competition in Spain, which is now beginning its third season. This agreement includes the Principality´s hosting of the Esports City Fest, an International event open to the public and that will take place in the Andorra sports center on May 20th and 21st.
Registration for the Esports City League Andorra are already open. It is the first international league of the sector in the country and in which anyone can compete free of charge whether individually or in a team. The winners will represent Andorra in an international league.
With regards to theEsports City Fest Andorra, it will be the electronic sports event where Andorran players and teams compete against Spanish and Portuguese cities, with the goal of winning and qualifying for the Dreamhack Valencia, a competition held twice a year, gathering on average over 65.000 visitors and where Andorra Business will also attend alongside several Andorran companies related to the sector.
The Esports City Fest Andorra will not just be a competitive electronic sports event, there will also be an entertainment aspect and another directed towards the followers of the videogame world and “Urban Style”, who will be able to enjoy different areas where Freestyle shows will take place such as: rap battles, virtual reality and simulation areas, a 3X3 basketball tournament organized by the Andorran federation, as well as areas for relaxing . In addition, a selected group of digital creators (influencers) who accompany the Esports City League will participate offering visitors the opportunity to get to know their idols. Furthermore, it was just recently confirmed that a professional circuit of Clash Royale will also be present which means that the amateur aspect will also merge and enjoy the presence of professionals.
Gallardo explained that participation in these events “positions Andorra in an amateur environment initially competing with Portugal and Spain with the future goal of extended it to other European and American countries. It also improves the innovation position of the country within a growing sector, opening us to the new digital reality, to tourism of new generations and is a great opportunity for national brands to make use of new communication channels in order to reach a digital public”.
Along the same lines, the director of Andorra Business, Judit Hidalgo, pointed out “organizing these types of events is a great opportunity for our business network and we would like for the maximum number of Andorran companies to be able to position their brands in new communication channels. In fact, we are speaking with different actors within the country, who recognize the interest in the sector so as to reach a massive audience. For the moment we have confirmation on the collaboration from the Comú of Andorra La Vella and we will soon be announcing other Andorran brands. Moreover, we consider the educational aspect of the utmost importance, in accordance with what was established in the strategic plan, and are coordinating with the country´s entities as well as the Ministry of Education in order to strengthen this aspect”.
Arturo Castelló, CEO of Encom, stated that “this agreement looks to position Andorra as a technological hub and recognized destination for the development of e-Sports Business, to attract companies and entities from the sector and to continue positioning Andorra within the e-sports industry. This project impacts four areas of influence directly related to the country´s socio-economic reality: Education, Business, Tourism and Innovation through an agenda of content and events that will promote Andorra´s position as a reference in the sector”.
For this edition, in which Andorra becomes an official host of the Esports City League, the decision was made to include competitions in games such as Clash Royale, Rocket League, Fortnite, Marvel Snap. In addition, there will also be an F1 competition (Simracing) but only available in person during the Esports City Fest of Andorra. All these games will be accompanied by content creators like Suja, DualView or RevolAimar among others. There will be areas dedicated to gaming and virtual reality and one will be able to compete in various games in the free-play zone. There will also be a concert by Elesky, a piano Player whose repertoire will include the greatest soundtracks from the best-known games.
The agreement between Andorra Business and Encom also includes, in the second half of the year, the hosting of the first edition of the Esports City Talks in Andorra, conferences aimed at raising awareness and debate, bringing the reality of esports and gamer culture to companies and professionals from sectors interested in the opportunities generated by this industry. During these conferences, professionals and prestigious academics will share their experience and vision on the impact of esports on society.
The Government in conjunction with Andorra Business have developed this Strategic Plan so as to position the Pyrenean country as an actor within the value chain of the industry and sector of esports. In fact, Andorra recently became the second European country and fifth in the world to pass a law regulating this sector, but the first in approving the development of a Strategic Plan.