Juniper
The life journey of the nation’s prominent esports player, Muhammad Faris Zakaria, or better known as Soloz, will be the inspiration behind the latest film, Game of Life. The film will take the audience through Soloz’s experiences as he faces various challenges, ultimately forging a name for himself as one of the renowned and successful professional players in the realm of mobile gaming, specifically Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB).
Game of Life also portrays the intense rivalry between TheBoss and a team from Singapore, Vengeance, which will teach Soloz and his teammates the values of friendship, team spirit, and healthy competition that form the foundation of their success.
The launch of the film was officiated by the Chairman of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS), Dato’ Kamil Othman, during an iftar ceremony and press conference held at the Connexion Conference & Events Centre, Bangsar South, yesterday. Also present at the event were the cast members, including Hun Haqeem, Ikmal Amry, Jaa Suzuran, Jiha Sham, and Hafeez Mikail.
“I believe that the film Game of Life has great potential to become a successful local film,” said Kamil, touching on the popularity of the mobile video game MLBB, which boasts an average of 5.2 million players worldwide daily. According to him, Game of Life has the potential to leap onto the international stage based on the global player count averaging 85 million people annually from 2021 to 2023, citing the esports page, Esports GG.
Game of Life will be directed by Syafiq Yusof, the award-winning director known for his previous works such as the Abang Long Fadil trilogy and Polis Evo 3. Produced by Key Billions Sdn Bhd, the first local film themed around esports is estimated to take 12 months to complete and at a cost of approximately RM8 million. Frame Motion Studio will collaborate on special effects, while Skop Productions will handle distribution.
According to Syafiq, he believes that this film, inspired by Soloz’s life journey, will capture the attention of young gamers and esports enthusiasts. MLBB is one of the most popular mobile video games not only in Malaysia but also globally, with global downloads exceeding 1 billion.
The production of the film, Game of Life was made possible after Key Billions signed a copyright agreement with the creators of MLBB, MOONTON Games based in Shanghai, China. According to Esports Charts statistics, MLBB recorded an audience of over 530 million people in 2023, making it the most-watched mobile video game last year.
Game of Life is expected to be screened in cinemas nationwide by mid-January 2025.
