Heineken’s Kiwi Player 0.0 champion to travel to Madrid

Checkpoint clocked; Heineken has crowned the country’s first ever Player 0.0 champion, at a tournament hosted in Auckland on October 18.

Twelve of the country’s best gamers, including a brother-sister duo from New Plymouth, revved their virtual engines on Friday night at Ponsonby’s Studio 230, racing on specially built sim-racers to win the title of ‘Player 0.0’. 

Competing on XBox consoles and playing the EA Sports Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix Circuit, five laps were clutched in the fastest time by supreme winner, qualified carpenter from Wellington Quin Zander, who progresses to the highly coveted global final later this year. 

Created three years ago, Player 0.0 is Heineken 0.0’s one of a kind, simulated racing competition to encourage consumers to drive responsibly, reminding them When You Drive, Never Drink. It aims to meld virtual and real worlds to promote safe driving. 

Thousands of players have competed virtually to test their safe driving skills, and this year marks the first time the competition has invited Kiwi racing fans and gaming enthusiasts to join the pit lane. With 40,000 gameplays logged, over 1,500 Kiwis registered high scores, while the competition has also extended globally across Asia, Australia, North America, and Europe. 

New Zealand’s ‘Player 0.0’ will represent the country on the global stage in Madrid, with 20 finalists gathering to race for the ultimate title and a meeting with global Heineken® 0.0 ambassador, F1 superstar Max Verstappen. 

The finals will take place on the main stage of GAMERGY, one of the largest gaming and esports events in the world. GAMERGY will be held from December 13-15 in Madrid, featuring cutting edge technology, live competitions, traditional sports activations and phygital interactive experiences. 

New Zealand’s gaming industry is booming – now worth an estimated $ 1 billion – and with 79% of Kiwis already immersed in video games, the timing couldn’t be better for Heineken to shift gears and offer Kiwi gamers the chance to compete. 

Fraser Shrimpton, Marketing Director at DB Breweries explains what bringing Player 0.0 down under means for Kiwis. 

“After years of watching from the sidelines, we’re finally giving New Zealand’s best gamers the green light to prove that the best driver is the one who is not drinking.” 

“For F1 fans, this is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in for the chance to meet the legend himself, Max Verstappen, in the global finals this December,” he continues. 

Since entering the world of motorsport in 2016, Heineken has been committed to steering positive change around attitudes towards drink driving. 

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