
Singaporean singer and celebrity JJ Lin has officially entered the local gaming scene with a team signed to his esports organisation; Team SMG. They will compete in Riot Games’ new multiplayer FPS game, Valorant.
The all-Singaporean line-up of Team SMG consists of veterans who have experience in the professional esports arena for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The ‘SMG’ for Team SMG stands for Still Moving Under Gunfire.
The seven-member Team SMG Valorant will be making its debut on 27 July 2020 against other Southeast Asian teams in the Rise of Legion: Valorant July 2020.
We are proud to announce the full Singaporean roster of our Team SMG #Valorant squad:@ZesBeeW
falfalfalsg@LEXYCSGO_
Kama@chunting_
Aeozora
ColbatCatch the squad in action this 27 – 31 July in The Rise of Legion : Valorant July 2020.#esports @playvalorant @riotgames pic.twitter.com/2h4suuy6FN
— Team SMG (@TeamSMGofficial) July 17, 2020
Speaking with Channel News Asia, Lin has big plans for Team SMG.
He said:
“This is a milestone in my e-sports journey, one that is very close to my heart.
I strive to nurture home-grown talent in this burgeoning e-sports scene.”
Lin originally founded Team SMG in 2017 with former Dota 2 player and coach, Kenchi Yap. They have since competed and won several esports tournaments, including the 2017 Arena of Valor World Championship with their Taiwan-based team. There is also a PUBG team based in Shanghai.
However, he only made his debut entry into the Southeast Asian gaming market earlier this year in February 2020 after acquiring Malaysia-based Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team, Makan Cendol.