Title: Event: rAge 2016 Interview with Mario Dos Santos, CEO of Ster Kinekor Entertainment!
Author: TheStrangerHAZ
Recovered Author: TheStrangerHAZ
Published Date: 2016-10-20
Original URL: https://geeknode.co.za/2016/10/event-rage-2016-interview-mario-dos-santos-ceo-ster-kinekor-entertainment
Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/20170713183809id_/http://www.geeknode.co.za/2016/10/event-rage-2016-interview-mario-dos-santos-ceo-ster-kinekor-entertainment/
Recovery Confidence: high
Categories: Events
Tags: eSports on the big screen, eSports South Africa, featured, I am batman, Interview, Mario Dos Santos, psvr, Sony, ster kinekor entertainment, warner bros

- TheStrangerHAZ

- 9 months ago

- 0 0

Not only are they in the business of bringing movies to the big screen; they’re also responsible for Sony and Warner Bros games landing on our shore!

I had the honor of interviewing Mr Mario Dos Santos, CEO of Ster Kinekor Entertainment about some of the newest games and technology they have a hand in pushing to our market, as well as their plans to bring eSports to the big screen.

Apologies for the audio problems folks, unfortunately, the Sony lounge was very busy. To make it a little easier to follow, see the interview transcript below:

Geek Node: Thanks very much for being here and taking the time to talk to us.

Mario: Sure.

Geek Node: Firstly could you tell us a little about yourself?

Mario: Sure, I’m the CEO of Ster Kinekor, Sony partner since the late 90’s. Glad to be here at another rAge, it’s going to be an exciting one.

Geek Node: What is Ster Kinekor Entertainment’s role in South Africa, specifically when it comes to the gaming industry?

Mario: Well from the start we were hosts for the first Atari consoles in the 80’s and PlayStation was first to market (in a console gaming perspective) here in the late 90’s so we got a bit of that pedigree that we carry. Obviously since it was PlayStation we were fortunate enough to be part of the operation ever since that launch and helped pioneer the console space, the handheld space and now the VR perspective as well which is brilliant.

Geek Node: I’ve noticed you’ve (Ster Kinekor Entertainment) taken a stand on live-streaming local eSports tournaments, earlier this year you brought said tournaments to a cinema in Cape Town. Are there any further discussions on perhaps expanding that?

Mario: Yea! In truth it’s just been very exploratory, we partnered with Telkom and Ster Kinekor Theatres (our sister company) to see how the events would go; with mixed response as it turns out. I think it was a learning experience for everybody and certainly the Joburg support was particularly strong, less so in Cape Town. There were more factors surrounding that though, our marketing and promotion of the event in particular, but it’s inevitable and it’s a space we’re very excited about so we’ll continue to test and develop that space.

Geek Node: Could there be, in the near future, the ability to watch not only the local scene but perhaps the Dota 2 International or the League of Legends World Cup in a Ster Kinekor cinema?

Mario: That’s exactly the plan, yes. This first showing was to test some of the technologies surrounding that and the digital connections of the cinema’s themselves since not all cinemas are digitally connected, just a few in the key centers. The test went particularly well so we’re set up to go forward from there.

Geek Node: Fantastic! If we could just switch gears and talk about one of the new larger releases Ster Kinekor has a hand in bringing to market; Injustice 2. What do you think of it so far? Have you seen much of it or got to experience it?

Mario: Yes, I’ve been fortunate enough to get to experience it and you know the first game was such a surprise, certainly to us but the market embraced it at a level that nobody really expected; we sold out here week one, it was just crazy to keep up, so there’s already quite a big fan base out there and this one just takes it to a whole new level. We’ve got a whole lot more of the DC characters in there which are just going to make it a fantastic experience.

Geek Node: I’ve actually been scheduled to take a look at it just now so I’m quite excited about that, I’ve never really been the biggest fan of the fighting game genre but it just has such an interesting concept and characters.

Mario: You know strangely enough in our whole organisation you’ll get the accountants, creditors, clerks, packers and it’s one game (Injustice) that brought everyone together, everyone at all levels of the company playing against each other. So it just shows how there’s a little bit of fight in all of us.

Geek Node: That’s very true. A question about you Mario, what are your Geek credentials? How do you feel about this industry? Are you not much of gamer? Are you a gamer?

Mario: I do game but I would be lying if I said I was anywhere near what you could call a proper gamer, sadly. I would be especially hesitant to call myself a gamer in this crowd (referring to the typical rAge patron). I do play social games and I’m more of a first-person shooter or sports guy but unfortunately the time you need to invest in most games nowadays is a challenge for me.

Geek Node: One more question specifically about the PlayStation VR, how is that coming along? How do you feel about that?

Mario: You know as I said earlier when we were just chatting, a couple years ago when VR was first touted across platforms, I was a bit cynical and suspicious if it could really make an impact particularly in the gaming space; and well, without exception, the response has been fantastic. You really do need to experience it though but as soon as you do I think everybody is sold on the fact that this is a whole new gaming experience; moving the way forward especially in the console space.

Geek Node: Thank you very much for your time, I’m sure the readers will really appreciate the interview and hopefully we see you next year at rAge again.

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TheStrangerHAZ

Tech Editor / Gaming Author at Geek Node

Gamer, programmer and pc masterrace-er, my heart has pumped all things digital for longer than I can remember. I firmly believe that if you want to see the best of human ingenuity and passion, you need not look further than your local group of gamers.

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Article Tags:
eSports on the big screen · eSports South Africa · featured · I am batman · Interview · Mario Dos Santos · psvr · Sony · ster kinekor entertainment · warner bros

Article Categories:
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