Two-week “DE*Spark” series packs exhilarating esports matches and activities for all

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 24 June2019 - Fulfilling Cyberport'smission to drive robust growth of the regional esports and digitalentertainment industry, Cyberport todayannounces the launch of the DigitalEntertainment Leadership Forum (DELF). Staged on 16 July, DELF will gather esportsicons and influencers, industry elites and celebrity gamers to decode theglobal prospects of the industry, tap into regional dynamics and market trends,and examine the development of esports and digital entertainment from allangles -- as well as hosting hotly anticipated live celebrity esports games.

DELF will also kick off the two-week "DE*Spark" series in July -- an all-newesports extravaganza which includes forums, competitions and experience day to helpenhance the business community and  public's understanding of the esports anddigital entertainment industry.

Professional gamers from Japan and South Koreacompete live

DELF 2019 is the first esports focusedinternational forum to be hosted inHong Kong, and will serve as the grand opening of Cyberport's brand new esportsvenue. Boasting the theme "Powering up a Vibrant Esports Ecosystem", adynamic program of keynote speeches and panel discussions will welcome regional specialists from all over the world. Experts from theUK, Israel, Germany, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asiaand Mainland China, together with local professionals, will shine the spotlight on hottopics across the esports ecosystem, from expansion of gaming, industry development in contrasting markets togrowing integration opportunities throughout theGreater Bay Area, revealing the huge economicpotential of this emerging industry from a comprehensive range of perspectives.

Visitors will be engaged by the event's three themedzones, each allowing the participants to encounter first-hand the latest esportstechnology, entrepreneurship and competition development. Meanwhile, spectatorswill feel the adrenaline watching a number of exciting live esports contests takingplace on the main stage, including a Leagueof Legends showdown between toplocal esports squad Hong Kong Attitude and a dream team fromSoutheast Asia.

The stadium will also host a series of competitive esportsstar games. Korea's top professional women's team Rox Caracal will compete withHong Kong's first female professional esports team PandaCute, in the League of Legends women's battle.Meanwhile an all-star team from TVB's eSportsCentral programme will challenge the established esports team Nova eSportson the FIFA field, where a team of Bird& Bird lawyers will also face down a team of Deloitte accountants.Meanwhile in the individual competition, the formidable esports star Human Bombwill play against Japan's Yuya Tanida in theStreet Fighter contest. An audience of up to 400 are expected on the day, toexperience live the immersive atmosphere at the venue, and will also have the chanceto participate in a backstage tour.

EricChan, Chief Public Mission Officer of Cyberport,said: "The vigorous development of the global esports industry -- not to mention the evolving ecosystem,economic value, and growing social acceptance -- means this is the ideal timefor Hong Kong to promote and engagethe ballooning esportsindustry. DELF 2019 is an unparalleledplatform for the business community and the public to deepen theirunderstanding of the esports industry, to connect key stakeholders in the field and unlockinfinite business opportunities.

"Esports is not just a fleeting fad or passing trend, but a serious, ever-expanding industry, and DELFwill gather industry leaders, experts, professional esportsplayers, and enthusiasts to work together to promotelocal esports culture. Cyberport will continue its efforts to optimise Hong Kong's digital ecosystem, and to maintain HongKong's competitive advantage as an esportshub through talent cultivation, competitionand technology development."

The main forum will bring together more than 30 heavyweightspeakers from worldwide industry giants, including: Bernhard Mogk, SVP ofGlobal Brand Partnerships of ESL Gaming; Cheolhag Kim, Secretary General ofKorea e-Sports Association; Yuya Tanida, Representative Director, CEO ofWellPlayed Inc; Sam Cooke, ManagingDirector & Co-Founder of Esports Insider; and Eduard Castell, Hong Kongdelegate of Spain's top real-life football league, LaLiga. Also in attendancewill be representatives from leadingesports firm Razer; industry expert Cecilia Yau, Partner inthe Entertainment and Media Practice of PwC Hong Kong,and executives from NVIDIA, AWS, Zotac, Zenox etc., as well as local esportsicons including Derek Cheung, Chairman of Hong Kong eSports Federation and EricYeung, President of Esports Association Hong Kong.

Three themed experience zones to promote esports culture

As well as the insightfulspeeches and panel discussions, visitors will also get a chance to enjoy a first-handesports experience through the three experience areas, which are themed as the GameZone, Tech Zone and Venturer Zone.

The Game Zone will include multiple play areas forgamers, offering the chance to experience the latest AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) games, including a racing game whichsimulates a racer training experience, developed by start-up company Godzpeed.Also on offer will be an AR battle experience, requiring team cooperation andstrategy, from Japan's HADO, a locally developed VR gaming box VAR BOX, a remotecontrol robot battle game from Ganker EX, and the latest games from Xbox andPlayStation.

The Tech Zone will focus on the latest innovation of game design andhardware developers, allowing industry leaders to reveal the tremendous potentialof the newest frontier in data analysis and esports technology.

Meanwhile the Venturer Zone will showcase the latestgames and esports developments by over 20 startups from Cyberport and acrossHong Kong, with a view to sparking new inspiration for digital entertainmentand esports development. Esports entrepreneurs and represnetatives from highereducation institutions will also share insights about the future of esports, engagingwith topics including the entrepreneurship, professional development and cyber wellness.

DE*Spark to lead a new era of entertainment

In addition to the one-daymain forum, Cyberport will continue to trigger the esports and digitalentertainment fever throughout the second half of July. DELF will be immediatelyfollowed by Asia's first Blockchain Gamer Connects summit on 17-18 July inCyperport. This international conference, which was well received in SanFrancisco, Helsinki and London, provides opportunities for market players of mobilegames and the blockchain industry to expand collaboration and businessopportunities.

Following this comes aseries of themed events to be held in late July, including the competitive LoL CampusLeague 2019 Finals (July 20-21), Seniors' Esports & Experience Day (July27), and the latest edition of the annual calendar highlight Hong Kong e-Sports &Music Festival (July 26-28) -- collectively facilitating the development ofesports and digital entertainment in Hong Kong.

Formore information and the latest events, please visit: https://delf.cyberport.hk/

For information about "DE*Spark", please visit: https://delf.cyberport.hk/en/de-spark

Membersof the media interested in interviewing the speakers can fill in the interviewrequest form and email it to wendy.chan@creativegp.comby 9 July 2019.

Attachment1: DE*SPARK Program list

Appendix 1  - DE*SPARK Program list