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Republic of Gamers surges forward with ROG Invitational II: Soldiers of Fortune, powered by Vodacom World and Intel

ASUS Republic of Gamers South Africa builds on the success of the inaugural ROG Invitational to bring to life the second instalment of SA’s richest short form CS:GO tournament, Soldiers of Fortune.
Issued by Asus
Johannesburg, Aug 14, 2020

KEY POINTS

  • The ROG Invitational returns: The ROG Invitational II, powered by Vodacom World and Intel, presents a fully digital, elite-level esports tournament.
  • Large prize pool: The ROG Invitational continues to be South Africa’s richest short-form Counter Strike tournament.
  • Highly engaging Soldiers of Fortune format: The competition will reward the most consistent teams, but the closer teams get to the final, the more they stand win or lose.
  • Registrations are open: Registration for the online qualifiers opens today (Thursday, 13 August 2020) through Mettlestate.com, one of the leading esports league and tournament operators on the African continent.
  • Tournament dates: The qualifiers run from 26 August to 9 September 2020. The finals will be broadcast live from the Vodacom World Esports Studios from 17 to 20 September 2020.

Today, ASUS Republic of Gamers, the world’s leading gaming hardware brand, announced the continuation of the ROG Invitational, which will again take place as South Africa’s richest short-form Counter Strike tournament. With a prize pool of R150 000, ROG Invitational II, powered by Vodacom World and Intel, presents a fully digital, elite-level esports tournament in the highly engaging Soldiers of Fortune format.

The Soldiers of Fortune format follows a double elimination structure that will be made up of two invited teams, the finalists from 2019, Goliath Gaming and Sinister 5. The six remaining teams will be filled by way of an online qualifier. Each team entering the finals bracket enters with their starting share of the R150 000 prize pool, with the highest seeded teams receiving a larger share of money.

From there, each match contains a bounty where 40% of the losing teams' starting prize pool is up for grabs. The pointy end of the competition will reward the most consistent teams, but the closer teams get to the final, the more they stand win or lose. This is the Soldiers of Fortune.

Registration for the online qualifiers opens today (Thursday, 13 August 2020) through Mettlestate.com, one of the leading esports league and tournament operators on the African continent. The qualifiers run from the 26 August to 9 September 2020. The finals will be broadcast live from the Vodacom World Esports Studios from the 17 to 20 September and will be available on the ROG South Africa Facebook page and the Mettlestate Twitch account.

Vodacom World partnership

Another exciting development for 2020 is the Vodacom World partnership with the second ROG Invitational tournament. The finals will be broadcast live with a panel of experts from the Vodacom World Esports Studios. Three full days of CS:GO matches, analysis, commentary and fan engagement will drive the production quality of South African esports tournaments to new heights, offering fans the perfect weekend of the best in South African esports.

Esports in the new normal

Commenting on the impact of COVID-19 on the esports sector, ASUS Republic of Gamers Country Marketing Manager Juan Mouton responded: “The global pandemic has forced us to take this tournament exclusively online, but unlike other sectors that have required creative restructuring to continue to grow, other than the gathering restrictions, we have simply seen an acceleration of existing, pre-COVID-19 gaming trends within the sector. The unique duel consumption models of gaming (linear and interactive) means an increase in both gaming engagement and gaming spectatorship.”