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.

Johannesburg, 14 Aug 2020
  • 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.”

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ASUS

ASUS is a multinational company known for the world’s best motherboards, PCs, monitors, graphics cards and routers, and driven to become the most-admired innovative leading technology enterprise. With a global workforce that includes more than 5,000 R&D professionals, ASUS leads the industry through cutting-edge design and innovations made to create the most ubiquitous, intelligent, heartfelt and joyful smart life for everyone. Inspired by the In Search of Incredible brand spirit, ASUS won more than 11 prestigious awards every day in 2018 and ranked as one of Forbes’ Global 2000 Top Regarded Companies, Thomson Reuters’ Top 100 Global Tech Leaders and Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies.

ROG

Republic of Gamers (ROG) is an ASUS sub-brand dedicated to creating the world’s best gaming hardware and software. Formed in 2006, ROG offers a complete line of innovative products known for performance and quality, including motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, desktops, monitors, audio equipment, routers, and peripherals. ROG participates in and sponsors major international gaming events. ROG gear has been used to set hundreds of overclocking records and it continues to be the preferred choice of gamers and enthusiasts around the world. Learn more about the choice of champions at http://rog.asus.com.

Editorial contacts

Neil Borthwick
Technical Public Relations Manager
0861 278 772
Neil_borthwick@asus.com