Niko Partners, represented by Darang Candra, Niko’s analyst and multi-country manager, who is based in Southeast Asia, was invited to the IDBYTE Esports 2019 Press Conference that was held on August 27 at the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information office in Jakarta.

IDBYTE is a bi-annual technology conference, one of the biggest in Indonesia, that has been held since 2011. This year’s IDBYTE, to be held on September 13-14 at Indonesian Convention Exhibition (ICE) Center in Tangerang, will take on the topic of esports and therefore the event is dubbed as “IDBYTE Esports 2019”, making it the first international-level esports conference in the country. IDBYTE Esports 2019 is supported by the Ministry of Communication and Information, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as will as the Indonesian Creative Economy Agency (BEKRAF) and organized by BUBU.com

The press conference included comments from Shinta Dhanuwardoyo, Chairwoman of IDBYTE ESPORTS 2019, Rudiantara, the Minister of Communication and Information, and Hari Santosa Sungkari, BEKRAF’s Deputy of Infrastructure. During the press conference, it was reported that IDBYTE 2019 will hold a Tencent-backed PUBG Mobile tournament dubbed BEST (BUBU Esports Tournament) with a prize pool of IDR 750 million (USD 52,583). Interestingly, the tournament will provide equal prize pool for both male and female matches, making the tournament to provide the highest-ever prize for female esports tournament in Southeast Asia.

Several big names that will attend the conference include President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara, Minister of Youth and Sports Imam Nahrawi, Head of BEKRAF Triawan Munaf, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Head of AirAsia Esports Allan Phang, and Razer’s Global Esports Director David Tse. The conference will also bring celebrities to participate in esports matches, with Filipino singer Christian Bautista and Indonesia’s JKT48 idol esports team Valkyrie to join in the fray. A talent search for casters, streamers, and cosplayers will also be held during the BUBU Awards event.

Minister Rudiantara stated that esports is a “convergence between sports and the digital world..therefore we have to support its development to ensure Indonesia’s position as a great power in this sector.” He also said that esports can provide the youths new channels to attain glory, work in new career paths, and promote Indonesian-made games. However, he also wanted to ensure that the negative effects of esports and gaming to be negated through cooperation with schools and parents. Mr. Hari also said that games and esports is one of the main priorities for BEKRAF, with the agency helping local efforts to develop the industry. BEKRAF’s support for Indonesian delegation in last Gamescom in Cologne, organizing the Presidential Esports Cup and BEKRAF Game Prime, as well as participation in the upcoming IDBYTE Esports 2019 show the agency’s resolve. Lastly, Ms. Shinta stated that the event is a way to strengthen Indonesia’s esports industry ecosystem through educatin the public and stakeholders regarding the development and potentials of gaming and esports. She also hopes that the conference will foster active cooperation, including international cooperation, within the industry.

For further information regarding IDBYTE Esports 2019 and BUBU Esports Tournament, and BUBU Awards please visit https://id-byte.com/about.