Thomasian esports CEO partners with Blacklist after PH CODM Champs victory
by Ernest Martin Tuazon
Renowned gaming organization Blacklist International is set to enter the world of Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) after partnering with the new kings of Philippine CODM, Team Ultimate EPro.
18-year-old Thomasian psychology student and CEO of Team Ultimate EPro Matt Gloria made the partnership possible. As one of the youngest CEOs in the country’s gaming industry, he aims to break barriers in the PH esports arena.
Team Ultimate EPro will compete as Blacklist International Ultimate in the upcoming CODM World Championship 2021 — Garena Finals.
Tough balance
As a young adult, Gloria admitted that being a CEO and a student at the same time is not easy.
“I was able to learn how to balance everything right now and I guess it all became worth it despite the hardships I faced,” Gloria said in an exclusive interview with TomasinoWeb.
Gloria managed to maneuver his life as a CEO and as a student by making countless sacrifices to juggle his responsibilities.
“During my first year at UST, I had a hard time balancing my academic life and my life as an esports team owner due to the conflict in schedules. I admit that I missed some of my classes due to nightly meetings,” he added
Achieving three major events in just a couple of months, Gloria admitted that it was not an easy task for him to handle. But his vision of uplifting the PH esports community made it all possible.
“I believe that it takes a brave soul to take risky decisions and it showed. Team Ultimate won a collegiate event hosted by Fight Esports a few months ago for UST,” the young CEO said.
High risks, high rewards
After sponsoring small teams that won local tournaments, Gloria trusted the process to mark his squad’s footprint in the local esports industry.
Placing first runner-up in the Philippine Pro Gaming League last December 2020, Gloria aggressively did everything in his power to bring in championship-caliber players that could help Team Ultimate EPro.
“I was being looked down on during the past few months and they would question the way I manage due to my aggressive offers on players and my aggressive buyouts from other organizations,” he said.
Gloria also acknowledged that his achievements would not be possible without the help of his management; they took things one step at a time, even without the guarantee of success in the path they are taking.
“I’ll be honest, I thought doors closed on me already but it’s never about just that one door. It’s either you quit, find another door, or do everything to get in,” the esports team owner added.
A door of opportunities
Ultimate EPro climbed its way from the lower bracket to represent the Philippines in the CODM World Championship 2021 — Garena Finals.
Not only did they receive P330,000 as prize money, but they also left their mark on the local CODM scene, as they defeated the former Kings of Philippine CODM, Smart Omega Esports, or more popularly known as NRX Jeremiah 29:11
“The twice-to-beat advantage of Smart Omega was one of the things that intimidated us but the boys pushed through with everything they got,” Gloria said.
According to Gloria, it was this triumph in the National Championships that caught Blacklist International’s attention.
“Blacklist International saw the potential of my players and decided to give them a shot to represent their org as Blacklist International Ultimate,” he added.
With the achievement, a six month co-sponsorship from Blacklist resulted. Gloria also hopes that his team’s continuous success would leave a lasting impact on the Thomasian esports community.
“I encourage all the Thomasians out there to go outside of their comfort zone,” he added
Gloria also reminded the Thomasian community to explore new games and opportunities, meet new people, and most importantly, have fun.
“Through this kind of platform, you can most likely meet your future business partners and friends so never limit yourself and always aim to go for greater things,” he said.
Ultimate EPro is composed of team captain John Benedict “Jaben” Julio, Railey “Yobabs” Abrenica, Gian “Yato” Socao, Martin “Tin” Yap, Neil “Flex” Perez, and Aj “Eiji” Agbing.
