SA’s biggest mall gaming
contest kicks off

Five months, seven malls, one national finale. 

Time for all gamers out there to get ready for the Sift Gaming Experience, one of the largest national gaming tournaments in South Africa. Sponsored by MTN and Hyprop, it will take place online and in-person at seven shopping centres across Mzansi between April and August 2023. Hosted in partnership with Computer Mania, Gizzu and Redragon, it invites players from across the country to contend for a share of a R35,000 prize pool. 

At the heart of all the action is the FIFA 23 competition, in which gamers will compete in online and face-to-face qualifying rounds. The online heats will precede those taking place at shopping malls across Gauteng and the Western Cape, with each mall hosting elimination rounds on the Friday or Saturday and a finale on the Sunday of their particular leg of the tournament.   

The 28 victors that emerge from these heats, as well as the four top players in the online matches affiliated with the specific mall, will face off for a gift card valued at R2,500 and a chance to progress to the national finale at Canal Walk in Cape Town from 25 to 27 August. 

National preliminaries will take place across the country. The participating shopping malls are: 

Somerset Mall (Western Cape):  

• Online qualifier: 16 April  
• In-centre event: 21-23 April 

Rosebank Mall (Gauteng) 

• Online qualifier: 7 May  
• In-centre event: 12-14 May 

Woodlands Boulevard Shopping Complex (Gauteng) 

• Online qualifier: 21 May  
• In-centre event: 26 -28 May 

The Glen Shopping Centre (Gauteng) 

• Online qualifier: 25 June  
• In-centre event: 30 June – 2 July 

Clearwater Mall (Gauteng) 

• Online qualifier: 9 July  
• In-centre event: 14 – 16 July 

Capegate Mall (Western Cape) 

• Online qualifier: 23 July  
• In-centre event: 28 – 30 July 

Canal Walk (Western Cape) 

• Online qualifier: 13 August  
• In-centre event: 23 – 27 August 

All seven malls will also host side competitions, ranging from F1 and Fortnite, to fighting games and Minecraft Legends, with gift cards and spot prizes for the winners and runners-up. Spectators and players can also try their hand at games like Rocket League, Brawlhalla and Multiversus. They can experience MTN Arena, the country’s first cloud gaming platform; and participate in a keyboard rebuild race for the chance to win a keyboard.

At the national finale, the seven finalists will battle it out. A R20,000 grand prize is on offer for the FIFA 23 winner, with R10,000 and R5,000 prizes for the first and second runners up. Another R60,000 prize pool will be there for the taking in the Call of Duty tournament that will run concurrently at the final. 

“Together with our partners, it’s time we bring our rainbow nation together and provide them with an opportunity to do more than just shop,” says Hyprop brand and campaigns marketing manager Christie Stanbridge.  

Jason Probert, general manager of digital services at MTN South Africa, says: “In line with our promise to deliver bold digital solutions for Africa, this partnership is another way we are demonstrating our commitment in providing experiences using our digital services and our best network connectivity. We encourage our customers to visit our activations in these shopping malls to experience an esports gaming tournament that they have never seen before.”  

* For more information visit https://acgl.gg/shift.