Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – With the e-sports sector rapidly gaining in popularity among Moroccan youth, the Morocco Mall in Casablanca is hosting a collaboration between the mobile game Free Fire and Korea’s biggest pop group BTS.
Garena Free Fire agreed on a commercial partnership with BTS for a music collaboration where the K-Pop stars will be seen performing within the mobile battle royale shooter.
The digital video also includes in-game costumes and emotes for Free Fire, designed by the BTS members.
From March 26 to April 10, gamers and K-Pop enthusiasts can enjoy the Free Fire stand at the central square of Morocco Mall where they can also win prizes and take photos with BTS stands in a photobooth.
Garena Free Fire held similar promotional events across the Arab world to highlight the esports industry’s milestones as part of its collaboration with BTS.
Though there aren’t exact numbers on how many Moroccans are active on e-game streaming platforms, the industry has in recent years seen an upward trend overall in terms of audience growth.
It is believed that there are approximately three million e-sports enthusiasts in Morocco.
Garena launched on March 30 its first flagship event in Morocco aimed at linking culture, entertainment, and e-sports with a focus on strengthening its commercial position in the country to set up a real online gaming industry locally.
The event attracted several Moroccans who share the same interests about popular Korean media, culture, and the gaming industry.
Kim Tae Hak, special envoy of the Korean Ambassador to Morocco Keeyong Chung attended the ceremony alongside Aprianto Pinarso and Kenza Benomar from the Free Fire MENA Marketing department.
Representatives from the Royal Moroccan Federation of Electronic Games (FMRJE) also attended the ceremony.
“Our objective is to promote, structure, and regulate the esports industry in Morocco,” said Soufiane El Filali, Marketing and Communication Director at the FRMJE.
Meanwhile, Tarik Belghazi, co-founder and CEO of MCES Africa, highlighted the industry’s growth in recent years, emphasizing that “esports is the new form of expression of youth culture.”
On March 2, Morocco’s Minister of Youth Mehdi Bensaid and the President of the FMRJE Hicham Lakhlifi pledged to cooperate to promote and boost the domestic e-gaming industry.
The FMRJE further announced that Morocco will feature among participating countries in the FIFAe Nations Series 2022 tournament.
As a new country in the competition, Morocco will feature in the online qualifiers of the FIFAe Nations Series 2022, which will take place from May 19 to 22, 2022.
In 2021, the esports market revenue worldwide amounted to $1.08 billion, with China leading the industry in terms of revenue.
Read Also: E-Gaming in Morocco: Youth Eager to Challenge Career Status Quo
