MK Challenge creates spectacle as thrilling as World Cup

Players who participated in 2023 MK Challenge with FIFA Online 4 are playing at the Omnibus Park Plenty Convention in Seocho district, Seoul on Aug. 22. [Photo by Han Joo-hyung]

Seocho-gu, Seoul, on a Tuesday afternoon, was abuzz with cheers, sighs, and gasps as the MK Challenge, an e-sports competition for college students, unfolded at the Omnibus Park Plenty Convention. The event, hosted by Maeil Business Newspaper and MBN, and organized by The Play, an e-sports planning company, marked its 8th year. This year’s edition featured FIFA Online 4, an online soccer game developed by EA Korea Studio and distributed by Nexon.

Last year, MK Challenge showcased the intense competition of Nexon’s KartRider Rush+, and the tournament ended with a fierce battle and a victory for Seoul National University. This year, on August 13, MK Challenge welcomed 85 participants who engaged in a tournament-style soccer competition, leading to a final eight participants who qualified through the preliminary rounds. In the gripping grand finale held on Tuesday, Lee Dong-heon from Dankook University emerged as the champion. The ultimate victor was awarded a prize of 1.5 million won ($1,120), a trophy, while the second-place finisher (Park Young-joon from Mokwon University) received 800,000 won, and the third and fourth-place finishers (Shin Kyung-seob from Hongik University, and Kim Yu-bin from Hannam University) were granted 400,000 won each.

This year’s MK Challenge saw participation from universities all across the nation, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Daejeon, and Busan. The matches of the day were live-streamed on the internet platform Twitch, adding an extra layer of accessibility and excitement for e-sports enthusiasts and fans.

“The fact that FIFA Online 4 was included as a category in the MK Challenge, where students from universities all over the country gather to compete, is truly meaningful. Nexon will continue to strive for the advancement and expansion of the domestic e-sports scene, and we will do our best to provide even more enjoyable services by listening to diverse opinions,” said Kim Yong-dae, the head of Communications at Nexon, who attended as an award presenter.

“As I watched today’s matches, I felt a vividness and excitement akin to watching the finals of the World Cup. Through games, we can experience the joy of watching, listening, and enjoying together, and in this aspect, we glimpse the infinite potential for the future of the gaming industry,” said Kim Jung-wook, the CEO of maekyung.com, the host of MK Challenge.