The esports scene in Singapore is far from being the most prominent in the region, but it has undeniably grown steadily over the years. With the recent addition of esports to the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games and the confirmation of national representatives for it, the time’s now ripe to rally behind the local community.
Local esports team Resurgence (RSG) is a key player in nurturing the said environment, stepping up to take charge of hosting esports-oriented events, grooming promising talents, and seeking out collaborations for both local and international ventures. It’s been two years of success, failure, and hard work – and all of that is being celebrated on this special, special day for the group, June 21.
In honour of their second-year anniversary, the esports organisation hosted an invite-only birthday celebration in the bowels of the Singtel ComCentre. It was no snazzy, extravagant affair, but the friendly chatter and boisterous laughter made for some comfortable, chill vibes as the emcee took to the floor. Cue an introductory opening of RSG as an organisation, then the main highlight of the evening: the official reveal of an original music video titled “Rise”.
It’s the first-of-its-kind in the Singaporean esports scene, created as a celebration of Resurgence and rallying cry for the former. The brainchild of local composer-producer Jeff Hue, singer Miea, and the team themselves, the reel features the faces of RSG against a backdrop of rhythmic EDM beats, which is meant to be a nod to the genre’s association to the pre-2010 esports days.
Despite being a young team at only two years old, the RSG members have already snagged impressive accolades across various esports titles, and their efforts have not gone unnoticed. An award ceremony was also held in recognition of their achievements, with the four-man All Star Team receiving S$500 each, and Hearthstone representative Samuel “Sequinox” Chan – whom you may recognise from our Hearthstone card reveal videos – bagging the MVP grand prize.
Among his list of feats, some of the more notable ones include a first-place finish at the 2018 WESG Singapore Qualifier, an eventual second runner-up podium finish at the Southeast Asia rendition of the same event, and a fifth-spot placement at the 2018 HCT Fall APAC Playoffs. Recently, Sequinox and fellow teammate Wesley “lambyseries” Seek went over to Las Vegas for the Hearthstone Masters as well, and while the overall result was far from the duo’s best, it certainly served as a good learning experience.
For his efforts, lambyseries has been placed into the All-Star Team, alongside League of Legends (LoL) professional Kenneth “Raven” Koh and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team captain “Aeon” Ong Wei Sheng..
As much as the second-year anniversary was an occasion to celebrate player victories, it was also a reminder of founder Jayf Soh’s journey. The head honcho shared that RSG was started in part of his passion for esports, and the other in memory of his brother, who lost the fight to depression. Two years down the road, the team has built a solid reputation for themselves, and it seems they have things going for them – their recent fundraising effort has apparently seen overwhelming support from the community.
But that’s no excuse to rest on their laurels. Moving forward, Jayf is looking to secure a partnership with South Korean telco giant SK Telecom, which would definitely open the door up to plenty more opportunities. As the owner of multi-time LoL champion team SKT, the industry giant is equipped with more than sufficient experience and knowledge of the field, so this might just be the boost we need to lift the local esports scene to the international stage. In addition to expanding beyond the boundaries of Singapore, the big boss will stay committed to grooming budding talents, with the intent to bring in more members in the near future.
It’s assuring to see that RSG has got more content in the pipeline and bigger ambitions to accomplish. The stepping stone has been set, and now it’s up to the rest of the community to follow suit – or start a new initiative, whatever.
Congratulations to everyone over at RSG, and here’s to many more years of esports greatness to come!
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Natalie
