Arslan Ash Siddique at EVO Japan 2019 |
Esports have risen to the level of other major international sports with multiple international tournaments. Esports leagues have sprung up in many countries including Pakistan. Esports Pakistan (ESPK) is a growing E-Gaming organization which organizes national esports competitions at its Gaming Arena at Royal Palm, Lahore.
Arslan put Pakistan on the esports map following his surprise first-place victory in Tekken 7 at EVO Japan 2019 and EVO 2019. Before October 2018, Ash, the Pakistani Tekken 7 phenom, had never competed in a major international tournament. Now, at the end of 2019, he is an international star and the only person to ever win the Evolution Championship Series Japan and its American counterpart in Las Vegas the same year.
Arslan is not the only successful Pakistani esports competitor on the world stage. Karachi-born Pakistani Syed Sumail Hasan, 19, is the world's youngest video gamer to surpass $1 million in earnings in esports. In fact, he has earned $3.6 million so far as an international Dota 2 player, ranking him the 10th biggest winner in the world, according to esportsearnings.com website which tracks players' earnings. Sumail started playing Dota 2 at the age of 7. He now lives in a Chicago suburb as a permanent resident of the United States.
Syed Sumail Hassan |
Arsalan Ash Siddique, 23 years old player from Lahore, Pakistan, caused a stir in Fukuoka Japan when he defeated world's top players to win EVO championship in February, 2019, according to Asahi Shimbun. In his victory speech, Arslan acknowledged many unknown Pakistani players who are also quite strong but could not join the competition because they could not get the visa to travel to Japan.
It wasn't easy for Arsalan to reach Japan to participate in the contest. He had to jump through many hoops and travel through several transit countries each of which made it difficult for him. When he arrived at Haneda airport in Japan, he only had Pakistani rupees and no exchange would accept them. Hungry and tired he tried his luck at the food court but no one would accept the Pakistani currency. His next flight was from Narita airport an hour away by public transport. To travel he needed to buy a ticket but did not possess any local currency, according to SBS Urdu.
Arsalan Ash Siddique (Center) |
Arsalan was exhausted and ready to give up his dream when he finally got through to his Japanese sponsors who helped him out. Needless to say he got no help from Pakistani diplomats through his challenging journey.
In spite of visa denials and other travel challenges faced by Pakistani players, the country ranks 25th in the world for players' earnings in 2019, according to esportsearnings.com. Ranked above Pakistan are mainly rich industrialized nations from North America, Europe and East Asia. All South Asian nations rank below Pakistan. Players from India rank 63rd, Sri Lanka 98th, Afghanistan 108th, Bangladesh 115th and Nepal 123rd.
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13 comments:
#Pakistani game developers denied #US visa for #GDC #SanFrancisco make a game about it. Goal is to draw attention to issues faced by those attempting to travel into United States from #Muslim countries. Rejections way up during #Trump admin https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/4/21122459/pakistani-gdc-visa-denied-game via @Polygon
Two game developers from Pakistan who were denied U.S. visas to attend the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco have made a game about their experience. The stated goal is to draw attention to issues faced by those attempting to travel into the United States from Muslim countries. Restrictions have been on the rise since the election of President Donald Trump in 2016.
Trying to Fly was created as part of the Global Game Jam, which took place Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, by Bisma Zia, Anam Sajid, and Ali Hamza. Both Zia and Sajid had previously been awarded scholarships by the Independent Game Developers Association (IGDA) to attend GDC. But, when they applied for visas to enter the U.S. for GDC in March, they were denied. Similar stories have played out over the past few years, impacting residents of Iran, Syria, and other predominantly Muslim countries.
“They wanted to make a game that would highlight their (and others) experience at the Visa interview process,” reads the game description, “and how such measures can directly have an effect on their future careers and lives. The bird represents the applicants dreams and aspirations for the future.”
The IGDA has made great strides in the past decade to support fledgling game developers around the world. Pakistan represents an emerging new territory for gaming, due in part to its surging middle class and the adoption of mobile technology. It’s also home to the Pixelart Games Academy, Pakistan’s first games academy.
The same weekend that the Global Game Jam kicked off, the Trump administration announced it would expand its travel restrictions in 2020. Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania will all have new restrictions put in place regarding access to visas.
MrSoomro, Leading Gamer in Pakistan, Announces Initiative to Introduce eSports as Academic Subject in Pakistan
https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/529638146/mrsoomro-leading-gamer-in-pakistan-announces-initiative-to-introduce-esports-as-academic-subject-in-pakistan
MrSoomro, one of the top gamers in Pakistan, today announced that he is leading an initiative to introduce electronic sports (eSports) as a subject of academic study to Pakistan. Other countries, such as the Philippines, already have college programs devoted to eSports. The move comes as eSports have been gaining traction as a serious activity and business throughout the Arab world in recent years. With over 250,000 followers on social media, MrSoomro has the social capital to influence thinking about gaming in Pakistan as well as throughout the region.
“The moment is here for Pakistan to embrace eSports as a legitimate area of study,” said MrSoomro. “The trend is well underway internationally, and we would be wise to follow suit. eSports is not just an activity, though of course it can be fun. eSports is a business, so learning about it relates to corporate and sports management study that’s a potential contributor to the economy of Pakistan.”
Indeed, according to ArabNews.com, eSports are at a turning point in the Arab world. As the site noted, “The Arab world is leaving its mark on eSports. There are Arab players at the top of every game, including Lebanese ‘Dota2’ player Maroun ‘GH’ Merhej.” Merhej plays with Team Liquid (together with Amer “Miracle” Al-Barkawi, the Jordanian/Polish gamer) and ranks in eighth place worldwide in terms of earnings. He has won over $3 million from 36 tournaments. Media exposure for eSports in the region is also on the increase, with Meltwater News, which tracks media coverage, stating that over 4,000 news articles have been published on the subject regionally in 2020 so far.
The 22-year-old MrSoomro likes to play PUBG Mobile, though he is also preparing himself to move into more competitive environments. He maintains a presence on social media on Facebook and an active YouTube channel.
#Pakistan to Legitimize #Esports by Granting it ‘Regular Sports’ Status. Pakistan has a very high rate of success in international esports. Top #pakistani players winning world competitions include Syed ‘Sumail’ Hassan and Arslan Ash. via @esportsobserved https://esportsobserver.com/pakistan-esports-sports/
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Hussain, revealed this week that a memorandum has been signed between the Pakistan Sports Board and the Pakistan Science Foundation that will see esports receive a “regular sports” status. He also encouraged those with an interest in video games, tweeting “If you are interested in video games, get ready and new opportunities are waiting for you.”
The announcement follows an interview where Hussain promised to aid investors and players in their esports ventures. He also announced that the ministry would be offering certifications in animation and game development in institutes across the country to encourage the youth to be part of the industry. In addition, he also revealed the first national esports tournaments in collaboration with Waqar Zaka – a popular internet personality in Pakistan. The tournament is set to begin in March and will have private sponsors so as to avoid government bureaucracy from affecting the operations.
While interest from the government will certainly do a lot in legitimizing esports in Pakistan, the country has had a love-hate relationship with video games in the past. In July of 2020, the nation unbanned PUBG Mobile after the game had been banned for a month after a case of suicide. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) labeled the game as “addictive, wastage of time, and poses serious negative impact on physical and psychological health of children.” However, despite its minimal presence in global conversations, Pakistan has a very high rate of success in international esports. This includes Syed ‘Sumail’ Hassan’s win at The International in 2015 and Arslan Ash’s domination of the Tekken circuit in 2019.
PUBG Mobile Campus Championship unveiled for Pakistan and Bangladesh
It will have a prize pool of $120,000.
https://dotesports.com/news/pubg-mobile-campus-championship-unveiled-for-pakistan-and-bangladesh
The PUBG (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds) Mobile Campus Championship (PMCC) spring split 2021 provides a chance for amateur and semi-professional players who are pursuing higher education to compete for glory, Tencent announced.
The PMCC features a total prize pool of $120,000 and will happen in two splits across 2021. The tournament will only be held in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Registrations for the competitions have begun and will be open until March 14 on the official website. Players are to be at least 16 years old and pursuing an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate from a university or college in Bangladesh or Pakistan to participate.
Just like the spring split of the PUBG Mobile Club Open (PMCO) 2021, the PMCC will also feature only three maps–Erangel, Miramar, and Sanhok. The snowy-map of Vikendi has been dropped from competitive PUBG Mobile esports for now, which Tencent has yet to reveal the reason for.
From sports to eSports: a market lies in waiting
https://www.dawn.com/news/1590486
Even for those who have never held a gaming controller, there is very little chance of not having heard the term ‘eSports’, which is short for ‘electronic sports’. Not long ago gaming was a mere leisure activity for teens and the tweens; more of a hobby than a business avenue. It is not the case anymore, and the shift has been rather drastic.
To put it in perspective, according to Allied eSports, which is among the brand leaders, as an industry video gaming is already bigger than music and movies combined, with eSports, as predicted by Forbes, already on the path to hit over $300 billion by 2025.
The world of eSports is both organised and competitive. Like any other sport, eSports has its own digital and physical events attended by millions of fans from around the world earning billions of dollars in revenue. Inception and rapid growth of the ‘Battle Royale’ genre has been the catalyst to the industry’s inconceivable success.
PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds), Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone and Apex Legends are all popular Battle Royale titles that are essentially online multiplayer video games that blend survival, exploration and scavenging elements of a game with last-man-standing gameplay.
Developing countries, like Pakistan, have always been slow in making their tech-related moves, but eSports in general and Battle Royale, in particular, have been a different story altogether in Pakistan. Since a lot of modern games have their mobile versions and the Battle Royale genre has mobile phones as the preferred platform, the trend has spread as swiftly as the cell phone market.
The whole community of gamers in Pakistan existed since long, but the government one fine morning woke up to the realisation that some cultural lines were being crossed and banned a popular platform locally. But it did lead to an unexpected development as eSports as a genre got public limelight like never before. The ban sparked a debate and the voice of the people was acknowledged. The episode just proved the mass following a single game has, and, therefore, is a viable market to tap. What next?
Developing players for the global competition is one aspect of the matter, while game development is another, and it is in the latter that the real money lies. A number of Pakistani-origin game-developers and other technical resources working internationally for big game development studios is proof that Pakistanis have the right acumen to succeed. Celebrated developers, like Shahid Kamal Khan, the former director of Strategic Content at Sony and an avid game developer at heart, are the kind of mentors Pakistan can engage to guide the local developers.
The success of this one sector can potentially create a whole lot good for the government by increasing employment and foreign investments. The whole eSports industry is a big pool of cash, from sponsorships, advertising, streaming rights and merchandise to astounding prize money.
By not being a part of the emerging scenario we are missing out on serious business opportunities while letting others take a head-start. According to Newzoo, one of the world’s most trusted and quoted sources for games market insights and analytics, the annual mobile gaming revenues in India are expected to grow from $1.1bn in 2018 to $2.4bn in 2020, making India the fastest-growing mobile games market in the world in terms of overall revenue. In contrast, with respect to prize money won by players, Pakistan has beaten India for the last couple of years consecutively by a considerable margin. The talent and the market are both there. All that is missing is a product.
Esports is growing at an exponential rate with a market that is projected to surpass $1.5 billion by 2023. Many countries are taking Esports seriously as the competion is being featured in various multi-sports events like the Asian Games. International Olympic Committee has also discussed the inclusion of Esports in future Olympic events.
China became the first country in 2003 to recognize Esports as a real sport. Since then, many countries like South Korea, Denmark, Germany, and Indonesia followed the trend. Now, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry via on Twitter that Esports would be recognized as an official sport.
"A memorandum has been signed between Pakistan Sports Body and Pakistan Science Foundation after which Esports will get regular sports status. If you are interested in video games, get ready as new opportunities are waiting for you."
A month ago, Chaudhry told TV host Waqar Zaka that a national level Esports tournament would take place in March through private sponsorship. He also confirmed that Pakistan's gaming industry is growing at 20 percent annually.
In Pakistan, Esports and gaming was an alien concept a few years ago till Arslan Ash - a Tekken player - won the EVO Championship Series Japan and EVO Championship series in 2010. This elevated the country's name on the international stage and inspired people.
In 2020, PUBG Mobile, a popular mobile game in the country, was banned by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). However, the ban was overturned a month later after an official request was made by several athletes.
PUBG Mobile recently concluded the Mobile Pakistan Championship which boasted of a prize worth 1 crore Pakistani Rupees (PKR) or roughly $62,000. Team F4 won the championship and took away 50 lakh PKR as prize.
International #Taekwondo Championship Opens in #Pakistan with 450 players representing 15 countries.
Representatives from #Afghanistan, #Nepal, #Jordan, #Kazakhstan, #Oman, #Iran and the #UAE - all members of World Taekwondo Asia. #martialarts #sports https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1115167/pakistan-open-government-taekwondo#.YYh4mp2xMao.twitter
The three-day Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Pakistan Open International Taekwondo Championship (G-1) will roll into action on Saturday at Liaquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad as players from all the participating countries have arrived in Islamabad.
According to an official of Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), the competitions will start in the morning while the opening ceremony will take place at 5:30 pm on Saturday.
Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza will be the chief guest at the opening ceremony. Besides high dignitaries of sponsors, top officials of Pakistan Taekwondo and IPC ministry will also attend the grand opening ceremony.
The diverse culture of the different areas of the country will be presented during the colorful ceremony.
All the arrangements have been finalized and the stage is ready for the prestigious taekwondo fixtures of the world.
On Friday, the athletes of various countries held their training sessions in the morning and evening at the joint hall of championship showgrounds under the control of their respective coaches and officials.
Over 550 players, officials, technical referees and judges from different countries will be the part of COAS Pakistan Open Taekwondo International Championship 2021. Besides hosts Pakistan, Afghanistan, Albania, Nepal, Jordon, Kazakhstan, Oman, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Morocco, United Arab Emirates (UAE), El-Salvador, Croatia, and WT Refuge Team will fight for 16 gold medals.
“We have international standard equipment to meet the international challenges and PTF is capable of staging such a great event in future too.
“Our aim is to promote the game and highlight the positive image of Pakistan across the world through sports. We have the full support of the IPC ministry and the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to organize this event,” the PTF official said.
Responding to a question, he divulged that PTF had also invited India for this event but it did not respond. “India has good taekwondo players, especially girls.
Anyhow, we sent invitations to all countries. Many countries are not coming for this event owing to the airfares that have gone high due to Covid-19. We have enough entries and a large number of players and officials will be in Islamabad for the mega taekwondo showpiece,” he said.
The event is being sponsored by Combaxx Sports, Fruit Nation, Go Petroleum, Bank Islami, the Bank of Punjab, Nayyab Labs, Korean Embassy, Islamabad Serena Hotel and Shangrilla Resorts.
How Islam helped Pakistan become an esports hub
DEVIN NEALY 5:47 AM SAT DEC 31, 2022
https://boingboing.net/2022/12/31/how-islam-helped-pakistan-become-an-esports-hub.html
Fighting games helped establish the world of esports. Before League of Legends and Starcraft even had a tournament presence, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike was taking the internet by storm with EVO moment 37. However, in the realm of competitive fighting games, there are few games as difficult as Tekken. Since Tekken is played in three dimensions, as opposed to the traditional two dimensions, there are numerous eventualities to account for during play. In addition to the three-dimensional chaos, almost every character in the game has a hundred moves that both you and your opponent must be aware of.
For decades, the country of South Korea has been the undisputed king of Tekken. With a host of notable players throughout the game's competitive history coming from South Korea, the country has long been established as the most dominant Tekken scene on Earth.
In the last few years, Pakistan has not only been making waves in the Tekken scene, but it's also working to usurp South Korea from its throne. In the video linked above, you can learn how the Islamic ritual of Hajj helped bring Tekken to Pakistan.
There have been 357 Pakistani esports players that have been awarded a total of $5,329,360.58 USD in prize money across 315 tournaments. The highest awarding game was Dota 2 with $4,522,888.59 USD won, making up 84.87% of all earnings by Pakistani players. Sumail "SumaiL" Hassan is the highest earning Pakistani player with $3,880,289.31 USD in prize money won overall, all of which was won from playing in Dota 2 tournaments.
https://www.esportsearnings.com/countries/pk#:~:text=There%20have%20been%20357%20Pakistani,all%20earnings%20by%20Pakistani%20players.
Gamer Pakistan and Elite Sports Pakistan announce 100th and 101st University Sports Commercialization Memorandums of Understanding
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan-154000850.html
HENDERSON, NV and KARACHI, PAKISTAN / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2023 / Gamer Pakistan today announced that affiliate company Elite Sports Pakistan has signed its 100th university sports Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and 101st MoU with Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sindh. These MoU's give Gamer Pakistan exclusive rights to conduct, broadcast and commercialize esports competitions at these respective universities.
Gamer Pakistan is rapidly becoming the premiere university esports partner for secondary education institutions in Pakistan. Gamer Pakistan creates the formats and events to provide a competitive environment in which to unearth and nurture budding esports talent at the collegiate level and provide them with opportunities to represent Pakistan globally in their journey to becoming world-class professional esports athletes.
Gamer Pakistan was founded in November 2021 to create college (in Pakistan "college" refers to pre-university programs, comparable to high schools in the U.S.), university and professional esports events for men's and women's teams. The company plans to develop competitive events that integrate our teams and leagues with regional and global teams and leagues sponsored by others. According to Statista, the number of gamers in Pakistan was estimated to be 36.8 million (16% of the population) in 2022 and is predicted to rise to 50.9 million gamers (20.6% of the population) by 2026.
"We are pleased to have achieved this milestone with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sind," said Elite Sports Pakistan CEO Muhammad Jamal Qureshi. "Their leadership in expanding the competitive sports and career advancement opportunities available for their students in all aspects of athletics is to be commended."
"Gamer Pakistan looks forward to including Usman Institute of Technology and Shah Abdul Latif University into the total collegiate Gamer Pakistan competitive esports universe," said James Knopf, Gamer Pakistan CEO. "Their participation and the enthusiasm and skills of their student gamers gives us great confidence in the future of esports in Pakistan, and in the ability of these gamers to rightly take their space on the global esports stage."
Esports is a form of competition using video games in organized, multiplayer video game tournaments. Players use mobile devices, computers, and video game consoles to compete against each other virtually or before live audiences. Gamer Pakistan is developing a strong platform built on licensed technology to enhance user experience with interactive features, and competition among players through the organization of tournaments and other events that support esports. Commercialization is accomplished through the sale of advertising and sponsorships to accompany event broadcasts and merchandising of products cobranded with our institutional partners and sponsors.
To date over seven hundred teams have registered in different Gamer Pakistan competitions, whereas four hundred-plus esports teams have been registered exclusively in esports competitive games including PubG®, Call of Duty®, Free Fire®, Tekken®, FiFa®, Valorant® and CSGO®. Gamer Pakistan also plans to proffer development contracts with the top winning teams in Valorant and Call Of Duty to provide for the betterment and development of these aspiring esports athletes.
Between November 2021 and November 2022, Gamer Pakistan has organized and held 27 separate esports tournaments, including the first annual University Esports National Tournament and Championship from June 30 - July 1 of 2022. In December 2022 GP held the week-long inaugural National Esports Free Fire Championship.
Gamer Pakistan and Elite Sports Pakistan announce 100th and 101st University Sports Commercialization Memorandums of Understanding
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan-154000850.html
Gamer Pakistan had already signed university sports commercialization Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with 99 universities from the public and private education sectors, and also with the Inter-University Consortium of Pakistan for Social Sciences (IUCPSS), which has an affiliation with up to seventy universities.
2023 Gamer Pakistan esports competitions include National Valorant League, Islamabad Esports Championship, Sindh (Provincial) Intervarsity PubG Tournament, KPK FIFA Championship, Lahore Esports (LAN event) Championship, GP Pakistan Tekken Championship, Gamer Pakistan National FREE FIRE League and the Punjab (Provincial) Open Esports Championship.
Elite Sports Pakistan Pvt. Ltd, (ESP) is our affiliate company and duly incorporated under the laws of Pakistan. ESP has entered into agreements with universities and sports authorities in Pakistan pursuant to which we have been granted exclusive rights with respect to licensing, producing, distributing and monetizing a range of sports events for inter-collegiate competition, including esports. ESP has been instrumental in forming Gamer Pakistan.
About Gamer Pakistan
Gamer Pakistan is an esports event development and product marketing company that was founded in November 2021 to create college, inter-university and professional esports events for all genders in Pakistan. Operations are conducted through wholly-owned subsidiary K2 Gamer (PVT) Ltd., and affiliate Elite Sports Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. https://www.gamerpakistan.com/
Gamer Pakistan has filed for an initial public offering, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan-154000850.html
The games studio is offering 1.7 million shares of its common stock at an estimated price of $4 to $5 a share.
Selling stockholders are offering up to 2.3 million shares of Gamer Pakistan's common stock.
The company has applied to list its common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Markets under the symbol GPAK.
"If we cannot realize a per share offering price of at least $4.00 per share in this offering, we will not proceed with this offering," Gamer Pakistan said, noting that it selected the lower price point of $4 per share "given recent market turmoil."
Write to Sabela Ojea at sabela.ojea@wsj.com; @sabelaojeaguix
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Gamer Pakistan and Elite Sports Pakistan announce 100th and 101st University Sports Commercialization Memorandums of Understanding
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gamer-pakistan-elite-sports-pakistan-154000850.html
HENDERSON, NV and KARACHI, PAKISTAN / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2023 / Gamer Pakistan today announced that affiliate company Elite Sports Pakistan has signed its 100th university sports Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and 101st MoU with Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sindh. These MoU's give Gamer Pakistan exclusive rights to conduct, broadcast and commercialize esports competitions at these respective universities.
Gamer Pakistan is rapidly becoming the premiere university esports partner for secondary education institutions in Pakistan. Gamer Pakistan creates the formats and events to provide a competitive environment in which to unearth and nurture budding esports talent at the collegiate level and provide them with opportunities to represent Pakistan globally in their journey to becoming world-class professional esports athletes.
Gamer Pakistan was founded in November 2021 to create college (in Pakistan "college" refers to pre-university programs, comparable to high schools in the U.S.), university and professional esports events for men's and women's teams. The company plans to develop competitive events that integrate our teams and leagues with regional and global teams and leagues sponsored by others. According to Statista, the number of gamers in Pakistan was estimated to be 36.8 million (16% of the population) in 2022 and is predicted to rise to 50.9 million gamers (20.6% of the population) by 2026.
"We are pleased to have achieved this milestone with Usman Institute of Technology University Karachi and Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur Sind," said Elite Sports Pakistan CEO Muhammad Jamal Qureshi. "Their leadership in expanding the competitive sports and career advancement opportunities available for their students in all aspects of athletics is to be commended."
Tekken director has no idea how the game got so big in Pakistan
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78d4153veeo
Players from Pakistan have been dominating the professional Tekken scene - but the game's director says he has no idea how it got so big in the country.
First launched 30 years ago, the Japan-developed fighting game released its eighth numbered instalment at the start of this year.
The competitive Tekken scene used to be ruled by players from the Far East, but the current top ten contains four players from Pakistan.
Speaking at a recent tournament, Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada told BBC Asian Network the dominance of pros from the country "came out of nowhere".
Tekken is a 3D beat 'em up where players fight each other in one-on-one bouts in best-of-three matches.
Arslan "Arslan Ash" Siddique became an overnight superstar on the competitive circuit when he claimed victory in the 2019 EVO fighting game tournament.
He went on to win the coveted title four more times, earning him all-timer status in the eyes of many fans.
Arslan, 29, is currently ranked 10th in the world after an early exit from the Red Bull Golden Letters Tournament in London, but fellow Pakistani pro Atif Butt holds the second spot in the world list.
It's clear that the country's become a force on the global stage, but the game's director still isn't sure how it got there.
"We never knew they were playing Tekken," Harada-san says.
"Even now we've never been to Pakistan, so I'm still quite interested to hear why they became so obsessed with Tekken and so good at the game."
The game's producer Michael Murray tells Asian Network that he "loved it when Arslan came on the scene".
"No-one knew him," he says.
"Then out of nowhere someone no-one's talking about comes along and you find this other community and then Arslan says it's not just him.
"He says they're all strong in Pakistan, and everyone's like 'what?'
"It was just such an amazing story and I still remember how exciting it was to hear that."
At the recent contest in London, Lim "Ulsan" Soo-hoon from South Korea won first place, beating Jae-hyun "CherryBerryMango" Kim in the grand final.
They were joined by players from the USA, Japan and Europe, demonstrating the global popularity of Tekken.
Harada-san has been working on the series for 30 years, and says the competitive scene really kicked off around the release of Tekken 7.
He tells Asian Network his mother cried when he first told her he wanted to pursue a career in video games, but now his family is "quite proud" when they see him in magazines.
"They're like, 'wow, you're actually doing something with it, that's good," he says.
Harada-san says he's glad Tekken "has continued for a long time and we've been able to come this far".
But he does confess to being "a bit sad" that it's the "only remaining major 3D fighting game franchise".
"It would be more interesting if there were other rivals, right?" he says.
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