Razer CEO pledges RM10mil for eSports in Malaysia: Budget 2019

Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer, poses during a news conference ahead of the company's IPO in Hong Kong, China October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

PETALING JAYA: The CEO of Razer, global gaming hardware company, Min-Liang Tan has responded positively on the government’s Budget 2019 announcement to allocate RM10mil towards the development of eSports in Malaysia. 

He replied to a tweet posted by Youth and Sports minister Syed Saddiq on the announcement, saying that he too would like to pledge a RM10mil investment for eSports in Malaysia.

Bro, it's an incredibly progressive budget for Malaysia to commit MYR10M to esports for the youth and millennials. In light of that, I will also be investing MYR10M for esports in Malaysia in 2019. Let's bring esports to the next level together! — Min-Liang Tan (@minliangtan) November 2, 2018

Syed Saddiq acknowledged Tan’s post by retweeting it to his followers on Twitter. He also responded with a "thank you".

Thanks bro! This is a huge step in creating a bigger and more sustainable ecosystem for esports in ASEAN. https://t.co/LkXnN329Bd — Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) November 2, 2018

The RM10mil allocation will go the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). CEO Datuk Yasmin Mahmood said MDEC looks forward to working closely with the Youth and Sports Ministry for the progression of the eSports industry. She believes that there is more to eSports than just playing games.

“It is a large industry that can potentially provide high-quality jobs for the youth including software developers and engineers, graphic designers and illustrators; and even eSports marketing and advertisers. The budget announcement gives legitimacy and empowerment to the youth to pursue their passion for eSports and games,” she said in a statement.

The National ICT association of Malaysia Pikom also applauded news about the RM10mil budget allocation.

“The association recognises the growing importance of the industry through the formation of our new Special Interest Group on eSports in 2019. This is part of our drive to attract the e-gaming community,” Pikom chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah said in a statement.