Hyprop partners with MTN to host South Africa’s largest national gaming tournament

R50k in prize money, eight qualifiers nationwide, culminating in one epic gaming showdown…this is the MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience 2024!

Get ready for another exhilarating display of gaming prowess, MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience is back. Now in its second year, it is the largest national mall-based gaming tournament ever held in the country. This groundbreaking event will feature a series of eight qualifier events held at Hyprop Malls across the nation over the next four months, culminating in an epic National Final taking place at Canal Walk in Cape Town this September.

Christie Stanbridge, Hyprop’s Brand and Campaigns Marketing Manager, remarked, “The goal of our national gaming tournament is to create a vehicle for making esports accessible to everyone, breaking down barriers and removing the stigma that gaming is only for a certain age group. We aim to ensure that people from all walks of life can come together to play games and participate in the thrilling world of esports.”

Jason Probert, General Manager: Digital Services at MTN South Africa, expressed his excitement about the partnership with Hyprop on this landmark tournament: “We are thrilled to partner with Hyprop to bring this tournament to life. This event is a testament to the growing gaming culture in South Africa, and we are proud to support an initiative that not only showcases incredible talent but also brings communities together through the power of gaming. MTN is committed to driving digital innovation and creating unique experiences for gamers across the country.”

What can gamers of all ages and skill levels look forward to?

The second MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience follows its immense popularity among gamers and its suitability for all ages due to the selection of EA FC 24™ as the title to be played throughout the main events. The tournament promises to be a thrilling competition and will offer a gaming experience that appeals to a wide age group, ensuring there is something for everyone, from casual players to seasoned pros with additional competitions and activations taking place at each mall event.

Get ready for the ultimate showdown! Join our electrifying online and in-centre heats and prove you’ve got what it takes to make it to the National Final. Battled out on the ACGL platform, the online heat is your ticket to glory and a coveted spot in the top four to earn a place in the Mall Finals.

Players can sign up at the various Hyprop Malls to participate in one of the seven heats held from Friday to Sunday. The top four players from each heat will move on to the Mall Final, joining the four online qualifiers.

There are a select number of mall heats dedicated to scholars this year to ensure that our esport schools are represented. Be sure to check out the respective mall website for all the details.

The events at the participating Hyprop Malls will include a variety of competitions and engaging activities, featuring not only the main MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience efootball tournament, but also a range of smaller competitions and activations. Participants and spectators alike can enjoy a dynamic gaming environment.

National Final in Cape Town:

The grand finale will take place at Canal Walk, featuring all the excitement of the Mall Events plus additional high-stakes competitions. The eight finalists from each mall will compete for the ultimate title and a share of the R50,000 prize pool:

• 1st Place: R25,000
• 2nd Place: R15,000
• 3rd Place: R7,500
• 4th Place: R2,500

Additional Competitions and Activations

Win with MTN and Battle+: MTN will host a Beat Saber competition with Xbox Series S consoles as prizes.

Beat Saber is a VR rhythm game where you slash the beats of adrenaline-pumping music as they fly towards you, surrounded by a futuristic world.

Beat Saber will be played on Battle+, MTN’s esport platform, where you can watch exclusive videos and play tournaments or compete in challenges to earn rewards. Battle+ is available on play.mtn for all MTN subscribers.

Computer Mania Pop-Up Shops:  Computer Mania, a premium retailer at our malls, will host pop-up shops where you can purchase all the products on display. Shop the latest gaming gear available at great prices, exclusively available during the Shift Gaming event.

PC Gaming Zone: Compete for prizes and bragging rights in popular competitive games like Fortnite™, Rocket League, Minecraft, Flight Simulator, and Cities: Skylines II. Defeat your foes in style utilising the latest gaming tech with PCBuilder’s performance-optimised prebuilt gaming PCs. Whether you’re a first-time gamer, scholar, everyday gaming enthusiast, streamer, or professional gamer – every PCBuilder gaming PC is engineered to deliver the perfect balance of stunning visuals, lightning-fast speeds, and unrivalled gaming performance. Or build the gaming PC of your dreams with the PCBuilder custom build tool.

Keyboard Rebuild Race: Redragon has launched even more gaming keyboards in 2024! How do we celebrate much-needed gaming keyboard diversity?  Join us for our hugely popular Redragon Keyboard Rebuild Race to test just how quick your fingers are. We’ll be giving away a brand new Redragon gaming keyboard daily – but only the fastest time wins!

The Toyota Gaming Engine SuperSprint (GT 7): Fastest daily lap wins a R1,000 Gift Card. An additional R5,000 Gift Card will be awarded overall to players that sign up to The Toyota Gaming Engine at MTN Shift Gaming Experiences.

Fighting Cup: Daily one-day cups for popular fighting games like Brawlhalla, Tekken, and Street Fighter 6. Prizes include R1,000 Mall Gift Cards for winners and R500 Mall Gift Cards for runners-up.

Additionally, the online and LAN Call of Duty Tournament is back, with a R60,000 prize pool to be won. The final takes place at Canal Walk in September.

Join us in celebrating the spirit of gaming across South Africa. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just looking for some fun, the MTN SHIFT Gaming Experience has something for everyone.