Japan esports organizer holds first overseas event in Bangkok

BANGKOK (Mainichi) — Japanese esports project organizer RAGE held its first overseas event “RAGE World Challenge in Bangkok” in the capital of the southeast Asian country on Aug. 18.

The event, focusing on entertainment exchanges between Japan and Thailand, was divided into three parts: a stage performance by the virtual YouTuber, or VTuber, group Hololive, an esports exhibition match between VTubers from the two countries, and a live performance by a local idol group.

Teams of three VTubers from each country participated in the esports match. The visitors consecutively beat the hosts in the fighting game Street Fighter 6 and the shooting game PARAVOX. They tied in the final event, for the soccer game eFootball.

Arurandeisu, representing Japan, seemed moved, saying, “I could feel from the local fans and participants that the VTuber culture, which originated in Japan, has taken root in Thailand as well.”

Aisha, representing Thailand, shared the joy, saying, “There aren’t many opportunities to connect with VTubers from other countries. We were able to bond quickly through games, and it was a great time to strengthen our ties.”

Over 1,000 people visited the venue, a shopping mall in Bangkok, which was filled with excitement. A local first-year university student who is a fan of Thai’s VTubers said, “Exchange games played between Japan and Thailand are rare. I was happy to see not only Thai VTubers, but also the Japanese ones.”

RAGE’s General Manager Akinori Osaki commented, “We had been considering expanding overseas for some time, and we finally made it happen. The local fans were enthusiastic, proving the event’s significance. Moving forward, we plan to expand further overseas in collaboration with other local subsidiaries of Japanese companies.”

A video of the event, in Thai, is viewable on YouTube.

(Japanese original by Yusuke Kiyono, Project Promotion Office)