Swarmio Media and etisalat by e& Launch Swarmio's Ember Gaming and Esports Platform Across the MENA Region
Ember was rolled out in the UAE under the brand name "Arena Esports" on November 28th
- e& is one of the largest technology and investment conglomerates in the world, serving 162 million customers across the globe. etisalat by e& is the largest telecom operator in the MENA region by number of subscribers.
- Swarmio's Ember gaming and Esports platform was launched to target etisalat by e& customers under the brand name Arena Esports on November 28th.
TORONTO, Dec. 7, 2022 /CNW/ - Swarmio Media Holdings Inc. (CSE: SWRM) (OTCQB: SWMIF) (GR: U5U) ("Swarmio" or "the Company"), a technology company focused on the global deployment of its proprietary Ember gaming and esports platform, and Etisalat UAE, now branded as etisalat by e&, announce that they have entered into a partnership (the "Partnership") whereby Swarmio's proprietary Ember gaming esports platform will be launched in the MENA region. The Ember platform was rolled out to etisalat by e& customers in the UAE under the brand name Arena Esports on November 28th, and will be expanded to additional territories in the near future.
"Our partnership with etisalat by e& will bring the Ember platform to millions of gamers across the MENA region, beginning with the United Arab Emirates - one of the most robust gaming markets in the world," commented Vijai Karthigesu, CEO of Swarmio. "Currently, the average user spend on micro-transactions such as digital content, skins and accessories inside the Ember platform has been incredibly strong. We expect to see similar results as we roll out the Ember platform across the MENA region where many citizens do not own a credit card, and thus have been unable to buy digital content while playing video games. Swarmio allows these under-served gaming communities to fully participate in games in a similar way to the US and European markets, which currently generate more gaming revenue due their higher credit card penetration rates. We look forward to working closely with etisalat by e& to launch Ember under the Arena Esports brand name to many other markets in the MENA region in the near future."
Swarmio developed its proprietary Ember gaming and esports platform as a co-branded SaaS-based product for telcos to add to their "bundle" service packages in order to improve customer retention and increase average revenue per user (ARPU). The Partnership with Etisalat by e& is a result of Swarmio's previously announced telco distribution agreement with WestBridge Telecom ("WestBridge"), whereby WestBridge will distribute Swarmio's Ember platform to its telco clients in the MENA region.
Arena Esports subscribers will have access to all the features the Ember platform provides, including an ultra-low-latency playing experience, exclusive competitive challenges and tournaments, unique digital content and products, managed communities, gamification and points system, online store, and alternative payment channels integrated by the "Swarmio Pay" gamer e-wallet - including direct carrier billing (DCB). Ember also enables gamers to purchase digital content, skins and accessories seamlessly inside the platform via direct top-up, meaning they do not need to pause their game play to enter a validation code.
These alternative payment channels are especially important in markets such as the MENA region, which is the fastest growing gaming market in the world, with an estimated 377 million gamers and growing. The MENA gaming market is currently valued at $1.78 billion and is expected to reach $5 billion by 2025, with most of this growth attributable to gamers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. According to a recent global survey by Statista, the UAE has the highest percentage of adult gamers in the world, with 9 out of 10 adult respondents saying they play video games.
Revenues are generated from transactions that take place inside Arena Esports, such as monthly subscriptions and the purchase of digital content, skins and accessories ("microtransactions"). According to SuperData, microtransactions made up 88 percent of digital games industry revenues in 2020.
'etisalat by e&' is the brand representing the UAE telecoms pillar of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), in our home market. In line with its refreshed strategy, etisalat by e& is on a mission to unlock shareholder value, deliver outstanding customer experiences and drive optimal business performance.
Taking advantage of the age of 'connectivity renaissance', etisalat by e& will grow core and digital services, by enriching consumers' value propositions with digital services that cater for consumers' new lifestyles and emerging demands beyond basic telecom services, including areas like gaming, health, and insurance. etisalat by e& will also continue to act as the trusted partner and advisor of enterprises by enabling their connectivity and beyond connectivity requirements
Bolstering its leadership position as the digital telco that is a customer champion in a hyper-connected digital world, etisalat by e& will pivot new, sustainable demand in future-forward spaces like private networks, autonomous vehicles, and AI.
To learn more about etisalat by e&, please visit https://eand.com/en/telecom.jsp
Swarmio's fully managed, plug-and-play Ember platform can be quickly and seamlessly integrated with major telco operations, allowing telcos to engage and monetize gaming subscribers and gain immediate and meaningful access to the US$200 billion gaming market.
Ember provides a proprietary digital hub for gaming communities, allowing gamers to access an ultra-low-latency playing experience, competitive challenges and tournaments, exclusive gaming content, managed communities, gamification and points system, online store (Swarmio Store), gamer e-wallet (Swarmio Pay), and customized digital content.
Swarmio Media (CSE: SWRM) (OTC: SWMIF) (GR: U5U) is a technology company focused on deploying its proprietary end-to-end gaming and esports platform, Ember, which enables telcos to monetize their gaming customers. Swarmio has engaged with several telcos that have launched Ember as an add-on service, allowing subscribers to access tournaments, engage in a localized gaming community, challenge friends and influencers, and earn points that can be used to purchase gaming content. Ember is powered by Swarmio's patented Latency-Optimized Edge Cloud ('LEC') technology, which reduces lag and allows gamers to enjoy an optimized gaming experience.
To learn more about Swarmio Media, please visit:
Swarmio Investor Website (https://swarmio.media/investors)
Swarmio on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/swarmiomedia)
Swarmio on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SwarmioMedia)
Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation: statements about the Company's growth, the Company's ability to capitalize on the major global opportunity in the gaming and esports market, anticipated benefits to the Company's partners and their customers from using the Company's products, ongoing discussions with potential new customers or partners and the possibility that such discussions may result in additional contracts or revenue for the Company, the Company's future plans, its goals and expectations, including but not limited to, the Company's continuing ability to enter into agreements to deploy its products with international telecommunications companies and game publishers and its ability to monetize these agreements through generating SaaS-based revenues are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risks identified in the Companies long-form prospectus dated November 10, 2021 (which can be accessed through the Company's profile on www.sedar.com). Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Swarmio Media Holdings Inc.
For more information please contact: Vijai Karthigesu, CEO of Swarmio Media, (+1) 647-954-0000; For media-related enquiries, please contact: [email protected]; For investor-related enquiries, please contact: Sean Peasgood, [email protected], Investor's Direct Line: 437-253-9222
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