'Avatar Cheering Battle' at the KartRider Finals

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] SK Telecom's 'Avatar Cheering Battle' based on 'Jump VR,' showcased at the KartRider finals, is gaining attention.

SK Telecom announced on the 24th that a heated 'Avatar Cheering Battle' took place in the social room within 'Jump VR,' where the '2020 SKT Jump KartRider League Season 1' finals were broadcast live.

The team finals held without spectators at Nexon Arena saw 'Hanwha Life eSports' win against Rox Gaming, and the event was live-streamed via SK Telecom's 'Jump VR.'

On that day, dozens of KartRider rooms were created within the virtual space of the 'Jump VR' social room, and a virtual cheering battle unfolded. Avatar spectators wearing flashy costumes and holding cheering tools gathered in a space equipped with large monitors, shouting for their teams and setting off fireworks, creating an intense cheering atmosphere.

On the SK Telecom 'Jump VR' app, viewers who watch the live broadcast video until the 24th and post a selfie of their avatar cheering battle on Instagram can enter a draw to receive powerful karts (online game cars) such as 'Dragon Saber X' and 'Black Knight X,' with a total of 50 winners.

The KartRider League is a popular eSports event that attracted a total of 3.53 million viewers in 2019, with an average of over 150,000 viewers per episode. Although it was temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, it resumed with no-audience matches from May 9, culminating in the Season 1 finals on the 23rd.

SK Telecom and Nexon plan to further strengthen their 'super cooperation' in the gaming sector through the '2020 SKT Jump KartRider League Season 1.'

Starting with the KartRider sponsorship, the longest-running domestic game league with 28 seasons since 2005, the two companies have begun full-scale joint marketing cooperation for the new release 'KartRider Rush Plus.' 'KartRider Rush Plus' is a mobile racing game developed to enjoy the fun of Nexon's popular IP (intellectual property) 'KartRider' on smartphones.

Additionally, SK Telecom utilized the IP of Nexon's popular KartRider characters 'Dao' and 'Bazzi' to co-develop the 'Crazy World VR' game with Pixelity Games, which was released in beta via Oculus in February and is planned for official launch soon.

Jinsu Jeon, Head of SK Telecom's 5XG Service Business Division, said, "As eSports matches without spectators continue for a long time, we aimed to vividly deliver the excitement of the venue to users who love games through 'Jump VR' live broadcasts," adding, "We hope that the avatar cheering battle in the Jump VR social room will further spread the untact cheering culture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.