MEDIA RELEASE
Singapore, November 16, 2012 – One of the most highly anticipated gaming events of the year is back. Into its fourth year, Licence2Play 2012 promises gaming fans a good time filled with the latest games in the market as well as exciting competitions.
Held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre Hall E over three days from December 7 to 9, 11am to 9pm daily, Licence2Play 2012 is organised by Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd (Sphere Exhibits), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Press Holdings, and presented by StarHub. Spanning more than 3,000 square metres, the exhibition hall will be filled with a range of games and products by key exhibitors that will definitely interest the gaming community.Dubbed Asia’s coolest gaming event, Licence2Play will showcase the latest in consumer games over different platforms, including a wide variety of online, console and casual games for visitors to try their hands on. From the hoard of fantastic games to a host of exciting competitions across a broad spectrum of genres, Licence2Play is the place to be for all who love games, from the experienced gamer to the novice enthusiast.
Gamers are encouraged to pre-register at www.licence2play.com.sg before December 5 and enjoy a special rate of $2.00 to gain entry into Licence2Play 2012. Fans who do not pre-register can still enter the hall by paying $5.00 at the entrance. All visitors who ‘like’ the Licence2Play Facebook page will get to spin a lucky draw wheel and win attractive prizes including a LenovoYoga and other exciting gadgets.
Game highlights
Blizzard Entertainment will excite the crowd with its best-selling games – World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Diablo III, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and its upcoming expansion,StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. With fun activities, demo stations and awesome prizes to be given away, Blizzard Entertainment’s booth will be a definite hit with the visitors. Some of the other popular games which will be featured at Licence2Play include SuperStar Liveby IAH Games and World Of Tanksby Wargaming, a team-based massively multiplayer online action game which has captivated gamers all over Southeast Asia. The recent launch of a Singapore-based server group has also drastically improved the gaming environment for players in the region and spurred the growing popularity of World of Tanks. Fans will be thrilled to learn that Wargaming will also present a special preview of their new game, World of Planes.
In addition, on December 7 at 11am, Licence2Play 2012 will send waves throughout the gaming community as it will be the exclusive event location where Asiasoft will unveil one of their most anticipated blockbuster free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) ever. Asiasoft has created a special online countdown page (http://blockbuster.playpark.
Competitions and Cosplay
Besides the opportunity to play to their hearts’ content, there will also be various competitions for visitors of Licence2Play. Presenting Sponsor StarHub will be holding the Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CS:GO) Tournament for the second year running, offering visitors a chance to win cash prizes and medals while playing their favourite game. CS:GO is an objective-based multiplayer first-person shooter where each player joins either the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist team and attempts to complete objectives or eliminate the enemy team.
Other competitions include the DOTA 2 Competition @ Licence2Playand the King of Shooterspresented by Digital Life, while fans of table and arcade gaming can look forward to theCardfight! Vanguard Tournament and Streetfighter tournament.
Besides gaming competitions, there will also be CosGames, an annual East versus West game characters cosplay showdown and KIMICS, a dance competition that requires the contestants to mimic Korean pop or K-Pop stars.
At this year’s Licence2Play, fans of cosplay will get to meet two celebrity cosplayers – Asahi Martha and Ginga Ion. Martha, a well-known cosplayer, has been cosplaying since 2006. She has graced the international photobook “Summer Time” with an exclusive photoshoot in France and Paris and recently performed at the 2012 World Cosplay Summit Cure Cosplayers Collection and the Collection night at the Tokyo game show 2012. Ginga Ion is a veteran cosplayer based in the Kantou. She is part of the all-girls cosplay performance group Venas Sisters, and has also performed at various big-name ACG events throughout Japan such as the “Be-Bit” and “Cure Cosplay Collection Night at Tokyo Game Show 2012.
This year’s Licence2Play promises even more fun and excitement as Asiasoft will also be presenting the AuditionSEA Clubber of the Year competition, where the winner will win cash, prizes as well as a trophy. For more details, please visit their official website:www.AuditionSEA.com .
Collectible toys and gaming merchandise will also be on sale for all fans, young and old, at the Licence2Play toys and merchandise carnival.
Mr. Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Exhibits, said: “Licence2Play has grown tremendously in scale and content and has now a large and loyal following. We are especially pleased this year to have StarHub as the presenting sponsor as well as renowned industry partners from around the world such as Blizzard, Asiasoft, Wargaming and Namco Bandai. With the support of these partners, we have gathered the best and newest games of every genre for gaming fans and we look forward to growing the gaming segment with them here in Asia.”
Lending their support to local game developers, Licence2Play will also host the Singapore Game Box, an initiative by the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) in collaboration with SCOGA (Singapore Cybersports & Online Gaming Association). It aims to promote awareness of Made-By-Singapore game titles and allows local game developers to test and gather feedback for their game prototypes. Local games that will be showcased include Amor Valley (X Box Live), Deep Quest (Online), Sarah Ghost: The Sewer Defenders(Online), and Call of Hens (PC).
Organiser : Sphere Exhibits Pte Ltd
Presenting Sponsor : StarHub
Official Trading Game : Cardfight!! Vanguard
Official Sponsor for Cyber Wellness Segment : Symantec
Partners for KIMICS : IAH Games & Ocean Butterflies Music Forest
Official Newspaper : Digital Life
Partners : Media Development Authority Singapore, Asiasoft, Blizzard, Wargaming, Kit-Kat, Nescafe, Energizer, Bushiroad,
Comics Society, Cherry Credits, Lenovo, Panasonic, Imaginary Friends, Singapore Polytechnic, SAFRA, Golden Village, Payment Link, Namco Bandai, Yoshinoya, SCOGA and The Plum Project