

Asia
Tier One Entertainment raises Pre-Series A financing to expand presence across Asia
Tier One Entertainment, the gaming and esports entertainment pioneer and leader in Southeast Asia, has raised an undisclosed amount of financing on its recent Pre-series A round.
The Pre-series A round was led by Gobi Partners through its Gobi-Core Philippine Fund, a joint-venture fund with Core Capital. In addition, Warner Music Group joins the round as part of their strategic investments in the region. Warner Music Group Corp. is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate that is considered is one of the “big three” recording companies worldwide. Meanwhile, Gobi Partners is one of the longest-standing venture capital firms with a Pan-Asian presence across North Asia, South Asia, and ASEAN, with over US$1.2 billion in assets under management (AUM).
Octava, a Singapore-based family office, KAYAC Inc, a Japan-based internet company, and Tier One Entertainment’s early stage investor, Atlas Ventures have contributed to this round.
Started as a professional talent agency, Singapore-registered Tier One Entertainment is now the largest gaming and esports entertainment provider in Southeast Asia, housing 420 talents with a cumulative reach of 100.9 Million on Facebook, 23.5 Million on Youtube, 11.8 Million on Instagram, and 9.1 Million on Tiktok.
The infusion of finance will power Tier One Entertainment, currently operational in Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, to set up local operations in other Asian countries.
The proceeds of the financing will be specifically utilized to hire back-end teams that will further support their talents, expand their esports operations in Blacklist International, Tier One’s Esports team, and set-up their first content creation hub in the Philippines.
“The gaming industry is going through a golden age and this funding will help accelerate our growth by allowing us to replicate our success in other markets. In just a few years of operations, we’ve found a winning formula in esports and gaming by developing a robust business model around top tier content creation and authentic distribution. We firmly believe that we are an Asian behemoth in the making and now that we have more support from established venture capital firms around the globe, Tier One Entertainment is now poised for explosive growth,” Tryke Gutierrez, Founder, and CEO, Tier One Entertainment, said.
Tier One Entertainment was founded in 2017 by esports veteran Tryke Gutierrez, cosplay and gaming superstar Alodia Gosiengfiao and seasoned entrepreneur Brian Lim. Together, they sought to revolutionize Southeast Asia’s esports landscape, bringing their expertise in creating winning formulas to turn their talents into gaming superstars.
“We have come a long way since our first business meeting at my home in 2017. With the growth of mobile gaming, streaming and esports as an avenue for youth entertainment, we came up with the foresight to develop and house these talents by building our very own YG Entertainment of gaming. We are truly grateful for our new backers for believing in our vision that we can take this company to the next level,” Alodia Gosiengfiao, Co-founder, Tier One Entertainment, said
The company has locked in top talents in the Philippines, Myanmar, and Malaysia to date. As COVID-19 accelerated gaming and esports’ interest, they plan to take advantage of this growth by acquiring more up-and-coming talents in other markets.
“Tier One showed their resilience and agility through their meteoric rise in the industry. Not only did the team understand the complex space of esports and entertainment, Tier One continues to thrive by expanding its footprint across the region. We’re excited to have Tier One join our portfolio of startups under the Gobi-Core Philippine Fund”, Carlo Delantar, Partner, Core Capital, noted.
The esports company is also backed up by Bitkraft Ventures and Atlas Ventures during its seeding round and has clients such as Foodpanda, Unilever, Riot games, Samsung, Smart communications among others under its business portfolio. The company positions itself as capital efficient and generating multimillion in annual revenues.
Asia
IGT Wins “Best Casino Supply” Category at 2025 G2E Asia Awards

International Game Technology PLC announced that it won the “Best Casino Supply” category in the 2025 G2E Asia Awards. In their 16th year, the G2E Asia Awards are evaluated by a panel of industry experts and recognize excellence and innovation in Asia’s gaming and entertainment industry.
“Winning the ‘Best Casino Supply’ category in the 2025 G2E Asia Awards was an extraordinary start to IGT’s showing at G2E Asia and a direct reflection of our ongoing commitment to delivering great games and systems to our customers across the Asia-Pacific region. IGT’s high-performing games such as Rising Rockets Link are helping operators diversify their gaming floors and offer popular game mechanics with a compelling presentation. I thank the many IGT employees around the world who contributed to this win and are helping fuel the Company’s momentum in Asia,” said Dallas Orchard, IGT Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Gaming APAC.
IGT’s Rising Rocket Link multi-level progressive (MLP) underpinned the Company’s win in the “Best Casino Supply” category. Rising Rockets Link has captivated players across Asia, quickly becoming IGT’s highest-performing game in the region. The game leverages a combination of proven mechanics and strong math and is presented on the globally deployed CrystalCurve49 and the PeakCurve49 cabinets.
The post IGT Wins “Best Casino Supply” Category at 2025 G2E Asia Awards appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Esports Returns to Singapore with BLAST’s Dota 2 Arena Event After Sellout Counter-Strike World Final 2024
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BLAST Dota Slam Singapore to take place this November at Singapore Indoor Stadium in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and AEG Presents Asia
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The world’s best Dota teams will meet in Singapore from 4th – 9th November 2025 to compete for a prize pool of $1,000,000 at the first ever BLAST Slam arena event
Esports entertainment company BLAST has announced the return of its world-class events to Singapore with the BLAST Dota Slam Singapore, set to take place in November 2025 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
This announcement follows the sellout success of the BLAST Premier World Final 2024, which marked BLAST’s Southeast Asia debut and saw more than ten-thousand fans pack out the Resorts World Convention Centre to witness the world’s top Counter-Strike teams compete for the $1 million prize pool.
Building on that momentum, Singapore will now host the BLAST Dota Slam arena event, teaming up with AEG Presents Asia again to bring together the world’s best Dota teams to battle it out for $1,000,000 in front of a live audience and millions of fans tuning in globally across 50+ territories and in 12 languages.
The BLAST Dota Slam Singapore is the latest milestone in BLAST’s global expansion into Dota 2, and reinforces Singapore’s growing reputation as a premier destination for sports and live entertainment. It marks the second consecutive year the city-state has hosted a BLAST arena tournament, following the successful Counter-Strike event in 2024.
James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said: “Singapore delivered one of the most passionate esports crowds we’ve ever seen during last year’s BLAST Premier World Final. We’re thrilled to be returning with our next major arena show – this time for Dota 2 – and to once again partner with the Singapore Tourism Board and AEG Presents Asia to help to further grow Southeast Asia’s esports ecosystem. The response to our events in Singapore has been incredible, and this November’s Dota Slam promises to be another landmark moment for fans and for the region. Singapore has an impressive history and pedigree for the biggest international sporting events, supported by STB, and BLAST is proud to be building on this with the biggest esports events.”
Ms Lilian Chee, Director, Sports, Singapore Tourism Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome BLAST back to Singapore, this time with the Dota Slam. Building on the success of the BLAST Premier World Final, this event further reinforces Singapore’s reputation as a world-class destination for sports and live entertainment. We look forward to welcoming the passionate fans, players and partners once again to our vibrant city.”
BLAST’s return to Singapore is set to shine a global spotlight on the city while delivering significant economic benefits and meaningful destination marketing. With an estimated economic impact in the tens of millions, the tournament further demonstrates how esports events are evolving into major cultural and economic drivers for host cities – on par with large-scale traditional international sporting events.
With Singapore, Rio, London, Austin, and Lyon among the major destinations on BLAST’s global calendar this year, it is evident that governments, cities and tourism bodies are recognising the power of esports to attract young and engaged visitors, create jobs, and drive international visibility.
The post Esports Returns to Singapore with BLAST’s Dota 2 Arena Event After Sellout Counter-Strike World Final 2024 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
DSTGAMING Shortlisted in Two Categories at SIGMA Asia Awards 2025

DSTGAMING has announced that it has been shortlisted in two prestigious categories at the SIGMA Asia Awards 2025: Best Platform and Best UI/UX. These nominations mark a significant achievement, recognising DSTGAMING’s continued dedication to delivering high-performance, user-centric solutions in the iGaming sector.
The SIGMA Asia Awards celebrate the most impactful contributors across the iGaming industry in the Asia-Pacific region. To be shortlisted in both the Best Platform and Best UI/UX categories is a strong testament to DSTGAMING’s dual focus on technological robustness and seamless user experiences.
DSTGAMING’s all-in-one iGaming platform has been widely recognised for its scalability, reliability and flexibility. With modular architecture and full customisation capabilities, the platform empowers operators to tailor offerings precisely to their market needs. Its seamless integrations, powerful backend and real-time analytics tools offer an unmatched operational advantage to partners worldwide.
In the Best UI/UX category, DSTGAMING has gained recognition for prioritising intuitive navigation, visually engaging interfaces and mobile-first designs. The platform is built to deliver a smooth, immersive player journey across all devices — critical for enhancing engagement and retention in today’s competitive market.
These dual nominations reflect DSTGAMING’s core values: innovation, user satisfaction and technical excellence. The company’s design and development teams have worked closely to align user interface aesthetics with operational functionality — ensuring both players and operators receive a seamless and responsive experience.
The post DSTGAMING Shortlisted in Two Categories at SIGMA Asia Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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