Cape Town player qualifies for FIFAe World Cup

IOL REPORTER

COMPETITIVE FIFA player Julio “Beast” Bianchi, from Cape Town, has made history as the first South African ever to qualify for the FIFAe World Cup, set to take place in London next month. He is 23.

Bianchi, who is the squad captain for Goliath Gaming, went up against some of the best FIFA players in the West Asia region in this past weekend’s qualifiers.

The FIFAe World Cup is an eSports tournament held by FIFA and its presenting partner EA Sports. Each tournament has players competing in games of the latest incarnation of the FIFA football video game series.

Bianchi made it through to the grand finals of the qualifiers, where he went head-to-head with FIFA World Cup champion Msdossary, and both players secured a spot to the FIFAe World Cup. Bianchi also won $20 000 (about R286 000) in prize money for finishing in second place.

“It feels unreal to know that I’ve qualified to compete in the FIFAe World Cup – the biggest event on the FIFA calendar. It’s still sinking in! Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would make it because I’ve had a tough past few weeks with studying and writing fourthyear exams, which have been a big focus for me, and the qualifiers themselves were unreal – so much excitement and so many surprises in games from world-class contenders,” said Bianchi.

He said the support from his family and teammates motivated him.

The FIFAe World Cup is the climax of EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series.

JULIO ‘Beast’ Bianchi, from Cape Town, has made history as the first South African ever to qualify for the FIFAe World Cup, set to take place in London next month.

MOBILE GAMING reaches the stratosphere

While consoles and other computer games still receive more attention, the App Store and Google Play Store have shown a large and evergrowing selection of games.

FLOYD MATLALA floyd.matlala@inl.co.za

REMEMBER the days when people could only play games on either their computers or consoles? Well, that seems to be a thing of the past as many gamers can now play video games from anywhere, thanks to tablets and smartphones, which have evolved to become more than just devices to make calls with.

According to media reports, consumers have spent a lot more on mobile gaming so far this year. With mobile game revenues hitting $44.7 billion in the first half of 2021 on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

In this edition of IOL Tech, we take a look at gaming apps consumers can look out for.

FIFA Mobile

The game allows players to build their ultimate team or play as their favourite team as they take on their friends or other top teams in the heart-pounding football action of FIFA Mobile. Whether it’s battling it out in PvP versus your friends, winning the Premier League with your team, or playing as Real Madrid in El Clásico, football on mobile has been kicked up a notch.

Asphalt 9

Get in gear and take on the world’s best, most fearless street racer pros to become the next Asphalt Legend. Asphalt 9: Legends features a top roster of real hypercars for you to drive from manufacturers like Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and VW Motors. You’re free to pick your dream car nd race across spectacular locations against rival speed machines. Hit the fast track and leave your limits in the dust to become a Legend of the Track.

Call of Duty Mobile

The Call of Duty Mobile game has console-quality HD gaming on your phone with customisable controls, voice and text chat, and thrilling 3D graphics and sound. Players can experience the thrill of the world’s most beloved shooter game now on their phones.

Minecraft

The game is pretty much on par with its PC and console counterparts. The game, which is popular all around the world for people of all ages, puts a player in a giant world where they mine stuff, build stuff, beat up bad guys, and do pretty much whatever they want.

Fortnite Battle Royale

Fortnite Battle Royale is a free-to-play battle royale video game developed and published by Epic Games. It is a companion game to Fortnite: Save the World, a co-operative survival game with construction elements.