Berryfam’s Lyvia Lai and Brandon Chen changed in the Malaysian esports scene with an ever-growing community of streamers, viewers, and casters.

One talent at a time, Berryfam's Lyvia "sol8erry" Lai and Brandon "sWetsWet" Chen are changing the Malaysian esports industry. They have given chances to some known names in the industry today, including, Joshua "Xenoviper" Wong and Elle "ellemonade" Lim. These individuals went on to cast big titles such as Valorant, Dota 2, Pokemon Unite, and Axie Infinity.

The founders

While in Korea in 2019 as a business student, sol8erry started her journey as a streamer. She wanted to be more than just a student. In 2020, sWetsWet made his first appearance on her Twitch channel in February before becoming one of her first regulars.

Sol8erry and sWetsWet (Image via Berryfam)
Sol8erry and sWetsWet (Image via Berryfam)

The two became close friends as sol8erry's channel grew. Soon, they became business partners and created Berryfam. With similar visions for the organization, sWetsWet knew that he could help sol8erry grow her community and bring out something great. He suggested to sol8erry to apply her skills to real-life scenarios while being a student, which inspired the formation of Berryfam.

The conceptualization of Berryfam

After making sWetsWet a moderator in 2020, the plan for Berryfam was set in motion. Sol8erry achieved partner status on Twitch on the Sept. 28 of that same year. Berryfam was then publicized and the first Berryfam Valorant tournament was held on the Feb. 21, 2021.

The two of them knew that they wanted Berryfam to grow as a community before anything else, and a lot took place in maintaining it. On the Jan. 26, 2021, they held their first successful event, which was the very first Valorant seasonal tournament. This tournament was made more inviting by having individual registrations, meaning there was no need to find one's own teammates.

When the community continued to grow after the first successful tournament, Berryfam realized that they could offer guidance and support to existing and aspiring streamers. The Berryfam Twitch Team was soon formed, offering a helping hand to streamers in achieving affiliate and partnership status.

Within eight months, the community reached 2,000 members and continued to grow.

Why Valorant?

When Valorant first came out in 2020, the potential to be a staple in esports was quickly realized and the opportunity was seized. While many of the younger generations flooded in to play the game, there were no public platforms for them.

Valorant esports (Image via Berryfam)
Valorant esports (Image via Berryfam)

How did Berryfam stay afloat?

While Berryfam had goals and plans for 2021 and 2022, they knew they needed to create more events to achieve them. It seemed ideal to form more events, but they knew they were lacking in funding. Through some research, they discovered Team Salty by Salty News Network, which is a talent management company.

They came to an agreement for Team Salty to provide monthly funding to create tournaments with cash prize pools. This attracted gamers to join the community and events hosted by Berryfam.

Other than Team Salty, Berryfam gained the support and sponsorship of a global marketplace for in-game currencies and content for their giveaways and tournament prize pools.

What is Salty News Network?

Salty News Network is a tech media division of Salty Media Network Sdn. Bhd. that delivers gaming tech and lifestyle content. They manage a wide variety of talents and influencers that are available for hire.

What are some of the biggest Berryfam achievements?

Berryfam VCT finals party (Image via Berryfam)
Berryfam VCT finals party (Image via Berryfam)

Over the two years since the formation of Berryfam, many events have been organized, but 2022 had a real impact with four seasons of tournaments alongside four Riot-endorsed viewing parties hosted by The Gaming Company.

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