Vampire Esports Soar to PUBG MOBILE World Invitational Triumph at Riyadh's Gamers8

Vampire Esports are crowned PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) champions at Gamers8 in Riyadh. (Gamers8)
Vampire Esports are crowned PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) champions at Gamers8 in Riyadh. (Gamers8)
TT
20

Vampire Esports Soar to PUBG MOBILE World Invitational Triumph at Riyadh's Gamers8

Vampire Esports are crowned PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) champions at Gamers8 in Riyadh. (Gamers8)
Vampire Esports are crowned PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) champions at Gamers8 in Riyadh. (Gamers8)

Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming event worldwide, saw Vampire Esports crowned PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) champions at Boulevard Riyadh City on Saturday after an epic tournament victory, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

The team from Thailand claimed $500,000 of the total $2 million prize pool after scoring 220 points. That points total was enough to edge out homegrown heroes Team Falcons from Saudi Arabia, who scored 197 points, into second place.

Team Falcons’ exploits earned them $300,000, while the 180 points scored by Stalwart Esports, from Mongolia, claimed third spot and $160,000. The MVP award, and with it $10,000, also went to Stalwart Esports – with star performer Action leading the individual rankings from day one of the tournament on Thursday right up until Saturday’s conclusion.

Vampire Esports Leader Rvenclaw said: “This is the greatest achievement of our lives. It was our team goal to come here and win, and we are so delighted to have done so. We really encouraged each other to win.”

Rvenclaw added: “The Esports Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City is a great venue and the fans created a great atmosphere. It was a great honor to be here in Riyadh and we have really enjoyed our time in Saudi Arabia – it is a beautiful country. We have really enjoyed the culture here; the buildings are beautiful, the food has been awesome, and the people have been very welcoming.”

Asked if Team Vampires had a message for the young gamers of Saudi Arabia who wish to follow in their footsteps, Rvenclaw replied: “If you want to be a professional esports player, you must have the self-discipline to be able to study, practice and do your homework. When you see the best players in the world right now, they all have self-discipline and keep on improving. This is what makes you win and makes money for you and your family!”

The second annual PMWI tournament marks the fifth and final phase of the historic Professional Esports calendar at Gamers8, which is being organized by the Saudi Esports Federation.

Split into two parts, the main tournament welcomed 17 regional champions and one homegrown representative. The Afterparty Showdown – the week two tournament taking place from August 18-20 – will see teams competing for the remaining $1 million on offer.

The Afterparty Showdown line-up will comprise the top five teams from week one – the aforementioned Vampire Esports, Team Falcons, and Stalwart Esports, as well as Nigma Galaxy, who hail from the UAE and India, and DWG Kia from South Korea – alongside six teams chosen from different regions, and one given a special invitation to compete.

Faisal bin Hamran, Head of Esports at the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “The PUBG MOBILE World Invitational at Gamers8 witnessed high enthusiasm from the participating teams, the fans present at the Esports Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City, and the tournament followers on Gamers8 channels being broadcast live in eight languages.

“This is our fifth tournament of the Gamers8 season, and the PMWI only adds to the glittering roster of elite action that we have been delighted – and privileged – to have witnessed this summer. I congratulate all the participating teams, especially those who qualified for the Afterparty Showdown that will be held next week.”

Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation, Gamers8, the biggest esports and gaming event worldwide, runs daily throughout this summer until September 8 at a purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City. Elite esports tournaments are featuring alongside a series of big-name concerts, festivals, shows, and fun-filled activities for all ages.



Apple Says Some AI Improvements to Siri Delayed to 2026

FILE PHOTO: Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, U.S., August 1, 2018.  REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, U.S., August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
TT
20

Apple Says Some AI Improvements to Siri Delayed to 2026

FILE PHOTO: Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, U.S., August 1, 2018.  REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, U.S., August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

Some artificial intelligence improvements to Apple's voice assistant Siri will be delayed until 2026, the company said on Friday.
In a statement, Apple said it has "been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps. It's going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year."
According to Reuters, Apple did not give a reason for the delays. The iPhone maker had previously indicated the features would come in 2025.
Last year, Apple announced a range of AI-driven features called Apple Intelligence that included new capabilities such as rewriting emails and summarizing a cluttered inbox.
Some of the biggest improvements were aimed at giving its Siri assistant the ability to duck in and out of apps and complete tasks for a user by tapping into information stored on Apple devices.
Apple gave examples such as asking Siri to pull up a podcast recommended by a friend or pulling up flight tracking information from a relative, all based on data held on the device.
The company has been building a vast new cloud computing infrastructure that runs on its own chips in an effort to maintain its privacy stance while delivering AI features. Apple has said Siri fields 1.5 billion user requests per day.
Apple's rivals have also been rushing to add AI features to their voice assistants, with Alphabet's Google adding its Gemini model to its assistant last year.
Amazon last month rolled out an AI-driven overhaul of its Alexa assistant, saying that the new capabilities would be free for subscribers to its Prime program but cost $19.99 a month otherwise.