What to expect in GameStart 2016

GameStart 2016 is coming right up in a little over a week, and we’re as excited as ever! With thousands of gamers, cosplayers, visitors and guests expected to head to Suntec Convention Centre for South East Asia’s premiere gaming convention, what are the things that they should expect to happen?

For three days, from 7 – 9 October 2016, GameStart 2016 will be featuring the following:

Game Showcases and International Guests

Visitors to GameStart 2016 can get their hands on all kinds of games – from retro to indie, triple A and

even card games, with a key highlight of the event being preview demos of yet-to-be-released games.

The list of games will be announced nearer the show.

Fans of Japanese game Touken Ranbu, will get to meet Yuta Hanazawa from DMM Games, with this

being the first time the company has come to Singapore for any promotional activity. A special music

performance by Malaysian guitarist, Az Samad, who has performed with Distant Worlds: Music from

Final Fantasy, will see him play selected tracks from popular titles.

Cosplay is a big part of any gaming convention, and GameStart 2016 is bringing in two renowned

cosplayers, Miu (Vietnam) and Okageo (USA), who will judge the GameStart Cosplay Runway, meet

fans and sell merchandise. Cosplayers also enjoy free entry to GameStart 2016.

ESports

eSports, or competitive gaming, is taking the world by storm, as the explosion of live streaming and

video sharing platforms has resulted in gaming becoming a spectator sport that commands millions of

viewers and billions in sponsorship and advertising spend globally. PlayStation returns as a major

exhibitor this year with a new focus on supporting the growth of eSports in Singapore and the region.

PlayStation will once again have the largest booth at the event, as the Presenting Sponsor for South

East Asia Major 2016, the largest console tournament in Southeast Asia, which will be hosted at

GameStart for the very first time.

Visitors can expect an action-packed weekend of professional-tier eSportsas top and celebrity Street

Fighter players from around the world travel toSingapore to compete for a coveted spot inthe official

Capcom Cup 2016 Finals – the finale of a year-long worldwide league that offers a prize pool of USD

500,000. Other notable tournaments are for Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, BlazBlue Central Fiction

and the highly anticipated King of Fighters XIV, most of which are qualifiers to regional tournament

finals in Japan and China.

Notable personalities who will be present include Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, Gootecks and Mike

Ross from Cross Counter TV, Mark “Markman” Julio and Singaporean Street Fighter prodigy, Ho Kun

Xian, who is a professional gamer, sponsored by Razer.

MyRepublic is the Official Fibre Broadband Partner for GameStart 2016, and also the Presenting

Sponsor for the Overwatch Champions Singapore tournament, which will see some of the best teams

in Singapore battle it out at their booth for over $5,000 worth of cash, and prizes from co-sponsor

Armaggeddon. GameStart’s annual FIFA tournament, the Gamestart Championship Cup, is also

making a comeback with support from Xbox Singapore, and over $4,000 in cash and prizes sponsored

by GameStart, Xbox and Monitor Sponsor, ViewSonic.

Founders Base and Doujin Market

GameStart is s rooted in supporting and putting a spotlight on indie and upcoming talent from

Singapore and the region, and Founders Base is where indie game developers and startups are offered

subsidised booths to exhibit and showcase their work to visitors. GameStart has just renewed their

partnership with Taipei Game Show, in which both parties foster cross promotion of Singapore and Taiwanese games by hosting a number of companies from each country at their respective shows. A

number of indie studios from Taiwan will exhibit at Founders Base under the Taipei Game Show

umbrella. The inaugural GameStart Indie Awards will see GameStart 2016 visitors vote for their

favourite indie game at the convention, and the top-voted indie will win a trip to exhibit at Taipei

Game Show 2017.

Doujin Market is the largest pop culture arts event in Singapore that focuses on Japanese content, and

as a new collaboration for 2016, Doujin Market @ GameStart will bring 24 artists and illustrators to

GameStart 2016, curated by Cosplay Partner and Doujin Market organiser, Neo Tokyo Project (Doujin

– Japanese term for self-published works and artwork by independent artists).

“GameStart Asia’s collaboration with Doujin Market provides great opportunities for upcoming artists

to showcase their works, as we want to help shine a spotlight on the immense pool of talent that exists

in Singapore and the region,” Elicia Lee, Director of Eliphant Pte. Ltd, said.

Trade-Ins, Exclusive Offers, and Freebies

In GameStart tradition,the first 300 visitors per day will receivea ‘Random Loot’ goodie bag, which

could contain t-shirts or prints from Xmashed Gear, gaming peripherals, high-end storage devices from

Seagate or special merchandise from other sponsors. The Quest, Powered by Armaggeddon, will send

visitors on a quest to complete specific tasks around the venue for swag, as well as more chances to

win prizes in the GameStart Lucky Draw, which includes an ergonomic gaming chair by Secret Lab and

gaming notebook from Official Notebook Sponsor MSI. For those looking to offload old laptops, game

consoles, games (except PC platform) and mobile devices, bring them down to the Gadget Solution

booth to trade them in for GameStart vouchers, which can be spent anywhere in the venue, including

purchasing and pre-ordering new consoles, games, merchandise and more at the many sales booths,

such as local retailer TOG (Toy or Game), Secret Lab, Armaggeddon, Liongeeks and Xmashed Gear.

So what are you waiting for? Book your tickets now!

Date: 7 – 9 Oct 2016

Where: Suntec Convention Centre, Hall 405 and 406, Singapore

Ticket Prices:

One day Standard – S$12

Three day standard – S$30

 VIP Passes – S$70 (includes three days entry passes, Priority Queue Passes and more)

Free Entry for Cosplayers

Hashtags: #GameStart2016

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What to expect in GameStart 2016