What Is The Phygital Games Of The Future?
The phygital Games Of The Future is a competitive tournament with a difference. It features a handful of tournaments for standard esports titles. There are Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and PUBG: Battlegrounds events.
Lets Get Phygital
But, there are also some titles a lot of people won’t be as familiar with – phygital football, phygital basketball, phygital shooter, phygital fighting, and phygital dancing. That’s a lot of phygital.
So, what are phygital events? Phygital sports combine physical and digital elements. In phygital football, tournaments, for example, teams compete in EA FC or eFootball digital games, with the same players also competing in physical 5-a-side football competitions.
Scores are combined, or averaged, and the winner is the one that performs best across both verticals.
Although there are a few phygital competitions, they aren’t as popular as pure esports or pure sports competitions. Arranging phygital tournaments presents something of a logistical challenge. And, while there are a lot of physical and digital competitors, separately, there aren’t as many high-calibre competitors that can compete in both elements.
Games Of The Future Controversy
Games of the Future is the preeminent global phygital sports tournament. It is a multidisciplinary tournament with 3 strict esports competitions and five phygital events.
It’s impossible to really talk about the tournament without covering the controversy that has surrounded it.
The first event was held in Kazan, Russia, in 2024. Kazan was known for hosting international sports events before the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This, coupled with President Vladimir Putin’s attendance of the opening ceremony, meant the event was seen by many as Russia’s attempt to reintegrate itself into the international community.
The organisers, Phygital International, have strong ties to Russia, and the first event was held in Kazan, although subsequent tournaments have been awarded to the highest bidder. This year’s event was held in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is becoming a major stage in the esports world.
A peak viewership figure of 1.2 million fans tuned in to see Team Spirit lift the PGL Astana 2026 trophy in May.
But, Kazakhstan is also known to have strong strategies ties to and is an official ally of Russia.
Phygital International’s ties to Russia have led to controversy for the tournament. Nigma Galaxy and nouns withdrew from the first event. Several pro players also stepped back following considerable public backlash.
With that said, there have been some serious names enter the fray. Team Vitality and Team Falcons, Virtus.pro, and T1 have all competed.
Games of the Future is a big deal for those who compete. This year, there is a total prize pool of more than $4m, with more than 800 players competing for their share. 17 Gaming won $300,000 for placing first in the PUBG championship.
