Esport : Marseille hosts the first international tournament for the game Cross the Ages

By Mérième Alaoui

« For the first time, we’re organizing a major international competition here in Marseille. We’re very proud, » says Sami Chlagou, the Franco-Tunisian director of the mobile game Cross the Ages. The first-ever international Esports tournament, Heroes’ Legacy, kicks off this weekend, December 9 and 10, in the Marseille wasteland of La Belle de Mai, in the south of France. This marks a new stage in the incredible adventure of this game, very popular in the Marseille region, where it was born in the Pixelheart studios.  The game has managed to make a name for itself far beyond the borders of France, particularly in Japan, South Korea and the United States. Africa is no stranger to success either. « In record time, Cross the Ages has been downloaded more than 15,000 times in North Africa, » says Sami Chlagou.

We will be targeting Africa in 2024 with a dedicated advertising campaign

The organizers had big ambitions for what is set to become an annual event. A preselection of the best players took place beforehand to pick the most talented, wherever they may be. « There were 300 players to start with, then 256 after the preselection. In the end, we selected the best sixty-four players from the four corners of the world to take part, » adds the manager. The African players who competed were not selected this time, but it is only a matter of time. « We’ll be targeting Africa in 2024 with a special advertising campaign, but above all we’ll be making the game lighter and less demanding. And easier to download on a weak connection. Africans are keen to download games to their mobile phones. According to the GSM Association, some 272 million people south of the Sahara play games on smartphones. This figure is expected to rise to 475 million by 2025.

A video game and a literary saga

The winner of this first edition of Heroes’ Legacy will take home €100,000. The financial commitment of the players is one of the key elements of CTA’s business model. The game is specifically targeted at playing card collectors and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). To progress, players must purchase unique digital cards representing characters from the game. More than a role-playing game, this universe has seduced gamers. « CTA is a mixture of chess, go and board games, » explains Sami Chlagou. This mixture of fantasy and science fiction has led to the parallel development of a literary saga in several volumes, first published online and then by Hachette. « Since the launch in 2020, everything has moved very fast. We’ve surrounded ourselves with the best people. Developers, graphic designers and writers who work on Game of Thrones and Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter ».

As with all Esports tournaments, the show around the screens and controllers promises to be a great moment of entertainment and community sharing. Some of Marseille’s leading personalities will also be on hand. Like the rappers behind the song « Bande organisée » and video influencer Michou, who made a name for himself by broadcasting his games of Fortnite, another famous video game, on YouTube. The Heroes’ Legacy tournament also aims to showcase the city of Marseille, where it all began, and offer visitors a unique experience in the world of gaming.

Find out more : https://www.crosstheages.com/