‘I thought I was dreaming’: Winnipeg e-sports organization fighting for $1 million prize

A Winnipeg video game team set to compete in the Call of Duty Warzone World Series. As CTV’s Harrison Shin reports, there is one million dollars on the line.

An e-sports organization based in Winnipeg is gearing up to fight for a $1 million prize.

Brandon Marques, also known as ‘BeamArk’ online, is the in-game leader for Lotus 8’s team for video game Call of Duty: Warzone. Marques and his teammates are heading to the Call of Duty World Series of Warzone happening in Las Vegas to fight for the world championship.

“Warzone is a first-person shooter battle royale. 150 players drop into a map, a zone closes in every four to five minutes, until there’s only one team standing,” Marques said, explaining the game.

He added the entire team was excited when they heard they were attending to the tournament.

“We actually couldn’t believe it. I had just woken up, I checked my phone, I saw the notification, and I thought I was dreaming … my team is the only full Canadian organization attending the event this year,” Marques said.

Braden Pyper, managing partner of Lotus 8, shared the excitement when he heard the news.

“Brandon sent me a message in all capital letters, saying that we were going to Las Vegas. It was the best text to receive early in the morning,” Pyper recalled.

“I cried tears of happiness. It is my first year as our warzone manager, and to have our team qualify for the global finals meant the world to me.”

Melanie Penner is CEO and founder of the Manitoba E-Sports Association. She said support and demand for e-sports have been increasing.

“We saw a huge uptake during the pandemic … now you’re seeing organizations pop up all over the place who are providing a lot of support,” Penner said.

“It’s a really great opportunity to see some sort of Canadian or Manitoba representation … and to have any representation for Canada, I think it’s really crucial.

“It’s a very loving and welcoming community, and I think that the fact that you have someone from the province representing it, I think it’s really amazing.”

Marques added that the best feeling was bringing his hobby to the top level.

“Being an e-sports player to me is that it’s a hobby and being able to do my hobby at the highest level. It’s such a privilege, and it’s definitely the best feeling about being an e-sports player,” he said.

“Whatever your dream is, chase your dreams. Nothing is impossible – whether you think it’s out of reach, it’s not. If you put in the time, the hard work and the dedication, it will pay off.”