Millions tuned in from the safety of their homes to one of the year's most-watched live gaming events on YouTube
The Arena of Valor International Championship (AIC) 2020 has finally concluded after over a month of intense competition, with Chinese Taipei's MAD Team claiming the coveted crown following a closely-fought Grand Finals. As befitting the biggest Arena of Valor (AOV) tournament of the year, the AIC 2020 saw millions of fans tune in to the championship's first-ever fully-online edition – all from the safety of their homes.
Millions tune in as the AIC 2020 is named one of YouTube's most-watched live gaming events of the year
The AIC 2020 was live streamed to millions of fans worldwide through various streaming platforms such as Youtube, Facebook, and Valor TV. The streams were accompanied by local commentary in 5 languages – English, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese – to cater to AOV's diverse fan base across the globe.
The AIC 2020 obtained a massive 109 million cumulative views across the entire tournament, more than double the 53 million views obtained at the AIC 2019. The excitement culminated in the Grand Finals on December 20, which obtained 631,029 Peak Concurrent Viewers (PCV) and saw the tournament live stream become the top trending gaming video on Youtube in markets such as Vietnam.
The AIC 2020 was also recently recognized by YouTube as one of the most-watched live gaming events/premieres of 2020 globally. These strong viewership metrics continue to reinforce AOV's position as one of the region's top competitive mobile games and the strong following of its competitive esports scene.
AIC 2020 continues AOV's competitive international esports events
While many international tournaments are facing disruptions due to the global pandemic, the AIC 2020 continued to deliver highly competitive international esports content for AOV.
Jointly organised by Tencent Games and Garena, the AIC 2020 built on the success of the Arena of Valor Premier League (APL) 2020, AOV's first international tournament that was held completely online. Leveraging the experience hosting the APL 2020, the AIC 2020 ramped up the stakes and competition by bringing together the 12 best teams from across 6 studios in 6 regions – to compete for the title of the world's best AOV team. It also saw the return of 1v1 tournaments after a year's hiatus. With a prize pool of US$500,000, the AIC 2020 continues to have one of the highest international esports prize pools amongst other similar mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games.
In addition to the thrilling matches, the AIC 2020's content production quality was a key factor in keeping viewers engaged. The tournament's theme song "Let Victory Make History" – written and performed by Vietnamese artistes Rhymastic and GDucky – evoked the most memorable moments of the storied legacy of AOV's international tournaments through detailed and realistic animated scenes. This was encapsulated by the live performance of the theme song in the Grand Finals opening.
Garena Challenger Series (GCS) teams win 2020
The Garena Challenger Series (GCS) teams certainly etched their names into the history books in 2020. MAD Team's victory in the AIC 2020 marks the second time this year that a representative from the GCS has won an international AOV tournament title, following Flash Wolves' victory at the APL 2020, highlighting the competitiveness and depth of the league.
A Grand Finals to remember
The Grand Finals saw Vietnam's Saigon Phantom and Chinese Taipei's MAD Team go head-to-head for the $200,000 grand prize and title of the region's strongest AOV team. Both teams went into the Grand Finals confident in their skills and teamwork, but it would be MAD Team who emerged victorious on the day, edging out Saigon Phantom 4-2.
The Grand Finals began with MAD Team racing to a 1-0 lead after snowballing the first game. Saigon Phantom rallied in game 2, with Zeref and Lai Bang bringing out their best heroes to tie the score at 1-1.
Game 3 went to MAD Team after critical mistakes by Saigon Phantom in the 19:00 minute, where Lai bang failed to backdoor and Red was defeated while trying to get the enraged Abyssal Dragon. However, MAD Team could not continue their streak in Game 4, committing a series of errors at the Abyssal Dragon to gift Saigon Phantom the game and bring the scores back level at 2-2.
MAD Team took Game 5 due to having an advantage over their ban pick strategy. Entering Game 6, Saigon Phantom had no room for mistakes and went all-in with a lineup of 3 warriors. But their strategy to focus on 0322 and Kuku in the Abyssal Dragon lane failed after the pair held their nerve to overcome the barrage. This gained MAD Team the momentum they needed to take the game and championship title.
MAD Team's 0322 was named the "FMVP of the Tournament", bagging himself US$10,000 in prize money. The 5 "Best Players by Position" were awarded US$1,600 in prize money each.
The AIC 2020 might be over, but fans will have plenty of esports content to look forward to in the new year. AOV will start 2021 with the special AOV All Star tournament in Vietnam, which will feature the nation's top players that promises to be a competitive and entertaining spectacle.
Download AOV at the following locations:
Garena is a global-leading games company run by passionate gamers, creating captivating games experiences for the next generation of gamers in the world's fastest-growing games markets. Garena has a unique understanding of what this new generation of gamers want and translates this into winning games experiences as proven from hit games.
About Tencent Games
Tencent Games is the world's largest gaming platform by operating revenue. As the world-class gaming division of Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK 700), the company develops and publishes AAA products for hundreds of millions of gamers on the world's most popular platforms. Tencent has built deep strategic partnerships with Epic Games, Riot, Supercell and other top game companies to bring their popular titles to China, the largest game market in the world. Tencent Games is dedicated to creating interactive entertainment experiences that are high in quality, engaging, and fun for a variety of audiences across a multitude of online game products. The company is based in Shenzhen, China, and Palo Alto, California, US.
Publishers or Game Developers can send their press release on our site, simply follow the guide here: https://pinoygamer.ph/pages/press
- Obtained a 109 million total views, more than double the 53 million obtained at the AIC 2019.
- The Grand Finals saw 631,029 simultaneous viewers at its peak.
- The AIC 2020 was named one of YouTube's most-watched live gaming events of the year.
The Arena of Valor International Championship (AIC) 2020 has finally concluded after over a month of intense competition, with Chinese Taipei's MAD Team claiming the coveted crown following a closely-fought Grand Finals. As befitting the biggest Arena of Valor (AOV) tournament of the year, the AIC 2020 saw millions of fans tune in to the championship's first-ever fully-online edition – all from the safety of their homes.
Millions tune in as the AIC 2020 is named one of YouTube's most-watched live gaming events of the year
The AIC 2020 was live streamed to millions of fans worldwide through various streaming platforms such as Youtube, Facebook, and Valor TV. The streams were accompanied by local commentary in 5 languages – English, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese – to cater to AOV's diverse fan base across the globe.
The AIC 2020 obtained a massive 109 million cumulative views across the entire tournament, more than double the 53 million views obtained at the AIC 2019. The excitement culminated in the Grand Finals on December 20, which obtained 631,029 Peak Concurrent Viewers (PCV) and saw the tournament live stream become the top trending gaming video on Youtube in markets such as Vietnam.
The AIC 2020 was also recently recognized by YouTube as one of the most-watched live gaming events/premieres of 2020 globally. These strong viewership metrics continue to reinforce AOV's position as one of the region's top competitive mobile games and the strong following of its competitive esports scene.
AIC 2020 continues AOV's competitive international esports events
While many international tournaments are facing disruptions due to the global pandemic, the AIC 2020 continued to deliver highly competitive international esports content for AOV.
Jointly organised by Tencent Games and Garena, the AIC 2020 built on the success of the Arena of Valor Premier League (APL) 2020, AOV's first international tournament that was held completely online. Leveraging the experience hosting the APL 2020, the AIC 2020 ramped up the stakes and competition by bringing together the 12 best teams from across 6 studios in 6 regions – to compete for the title of the world's best AOV team. It also saw the return of 1v1 tournaments after a year's hiatus. With a prize pool of US$500,000, the AIC 2020 continues to have one of the highest international esports prize pools amongst other similar mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games.
In addition to the thrilling matches, the AIC 2020's content production quality was a key factor in keeping viewers engaged. The tournament's theme song "Let Victory Make History" – written and performed by Vietnamese artistes Rhymastic and GDucky – evoked the most memorable moments of the storied legacy of AOV's international tournaments through detailed and realistic animated scenes. This was encapsulated by the live performance of the theme song in the Grand Finals opening.
Garena Challenger Series (GCS) teams win 2020
The Garena Challenger Series (GCS) teams certainly etched their names into the history books in 2020. MAD Team's victory in the AIC 2020 marks the second time this year that a representative from the GCS has won an international AOV tournament title, following Flash Wolves' victory at the APL 2020, highlighting the competitiveness and depth of the league.
A Grand Finals to remember
The Grand Finals saw Vietnam's Saigon Phantom and Chinese Taipei's MAD Team go head-to-head for the $200,000 grand prize and title of the region's strongest AOV team. Both teams went into the Grand Finals confident in their skills and teamwork, but it would be MAD Team who emerged victorious on the day, edging out Saigon Phantom 4-2.
The Grand Finals began with MAD Team racing to a 1-0 lead after snowballing the first game. Saigon Phantom rallied in game 2, with Zeref and Lai Bang bringing out their best heroes to tie the score at 1-1.
Game 3 went to MAD Team after critical mistakes by Saigon Phantom in the 19:00 minute, where Lai bang failed to backdoor and Red was defeated while trying to get the enraged Abyssal Dragon. However, MAD Team could not continue their streak in Game 4, committing a series of errors at the Abyssal Dragon to gift Saigon Phantom the game and bring the scores back level at 2-2.
MAD Team took Game 5 due to having an advantage over their ban pick strategy. Entering Game 6, Saigon Phantom had no room for mistakes and went all-in with a lineup of 3 warriors. But their strategy to focus on 0322 and Kuku in the Abyssal Dragon lane failed after the pair held their nerve to overcome the barrage. This gained MAD Team the momentum they needed to take the game and championship title.
MAD Team's 0322 was named the "FMVP of the Tournament", bagging himself US$10,000 in prize money. The 5 "Best Players by Position" were awarded US$1,600 in prize money each.
The AIC 2020 might be over, but fans will have plenty of esports content to look forward to in the new year. AOV will start 2021 with the special AOV All Star tournament in Vietnam, which will feature the nation's top players that promises to be a competitive and entertaining spectacle.
Download AOV at the following locations:
- Apple iOS App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1150318642
- Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ngame.allstar.eu&hl=en_US
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arenaofvalor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garena.aov
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ArenaofValor
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArenaofValor
Garena is a global-leading games company run by passionate gamers, creating captivating games experiences for the next generation of gamers in the world's fastest-growing games markets. Garena has a unique understanding of what this new generation of gamers want and translates this into winning games experiences as proven from hit games.
About Tencent Games
Tencent Games is the world's largest gaming platform by operating revenue. As the world-class gaming division of Tencent Holdings Limited (SEHK 700), the company develops and publishes AAA products for hundreds of millions of gamers on the world's most popular platforms. Tencent has built deep strategic partnerships with Epic Games, Riot, Supercell and other top game companies to bring their popular titles to China, the largest game market in the world. Tencent Games is dedicated to creating interactive entertainment experiences that are high in quality, engaging, and fun for a variety of audiences across a multitude of online game products. The company is based in Shenzhen, China, and Palo Alto, California, US.
Publishers or Game Developers can send their press release on our site, simply follow the guide here: https://pinoygamer.ph/pages/press
