FOR Bitoy "Hypebit$" Ferrer, the chance to get to play in the MPL main stage is the cherry on top of his new ambassador role for Minana Esports.
In an interview with Spin.ph, the content creator said that "Isa sa mga goal ko is makalaro sa MPL and they offered me that and good thing kase yung back end, yung management ng Minana, marami akong kakilala.
"So grinab ko yung opportunity and syempre diba hindi pa kilala ang Minana dito tsaka fresh pa sila e, so parang sabi ko go!"
In a previous interview with Spin.ph, both Hypebit$ and the team's CEO Ferdinand Gutierrez confirmed that Minana Esports was indeed joining the MPL-PH, though they declined to share more exact details.
For most individuals, reaching the MPL stage is a dream come true. It remains to be seen if he'll be one of the team's key players if and when they'll make it to the Mobile Legends pro league... or whether he'll be a mentor/impresario/hypeman like Setsuna "Akosi Dogie" Ignacio and Elyson "Wrecker" Caranza.
But still, whatever the outcome one should never deny the difficulties that they endured before they became famous.
Ferrer would know as he told Spin.ph the struggles he endured in his early days.
A worthy gamble for Hypebit$?
To the vast majority, streaming and content creation is a dream job. Getting paid while playing video games for hours? What's not to like?
But streaming isn't as simple as going live on social media to play games, as Ferrer recounts.
“It was tough talaga, parang you have to give your 100 percent," he said. "Kaso ang iniisip ng tao, streaming lang yan, sideline lang yan pero kase dapat mamili ka ng isa, hindi siya pwedeng pagsabayin e. Mahihirapan ka talaga."
Streaming was so time-intensive that Ferrer decided to take a gamble by leaving his day jobs as a call center agent and sneaker reseller.
"Kaya noong time na nag-decide ako noon, talagang YOLO talaga kase nag-resign ako sa work, after noon wala akong kikitain. So meron akong kaunting ipon and then siguro six months ako nag-grind. Parang nangutang-ngutang ako para pambayad ng kuryente, pambili ng computer peripherals, and stuff."
To add to the debt and the uncertain future, Hypebit$ also felt that the whole world was against him.
"Actually, even my family, hindi sila sinusuportahan yung paglalaro ng computer games. Wala talagang naniwala sa akin noon. Kailangan ko mag-side hustle para ma-maintain yung paglalaro ko and pagstre-stream ko at the same time," said Ferrer. "Kasi usually tayo sa Pilipinas kailangan talaga may trabaho e. Kung hindi tayo magta-trabaho, wala tayong kakainin everyday. Noong time na iyon, nasa 20s na ako, so akin na talaga e, karga ko na sarili ko e."
But there was one person who believed in his capabilities. "Siguro ang kaisa-isang naniwala sa akin is yung mommy ko, Yun yung ginawa kong motivation, kailangan kong mag-succeed dito para mapatunayan ko sa family and friends ko na kaya ko itong pinasok ko."
With so much at stake and with his passion for gaming, the grind never stopped for Ferrer. He outlined his punishing schedule.
"Every day talaga, six months straight, five to six hours everyday ako naggra-grind. Siguro kase hindi ko napapansin yung oras kase na-e-enjoy ko siya e. Kase when you're playing time flies so fast, lalo kung na-enjoy mo siya.
"Kahit saang field ng job, kung gusto mo yung ginagawa mo, sobrang bilis ng oras."

Hypebit$ enters Rumble Royale
Those six months of grinding ultimately paid off when Rumble Royale, a gaming agency in the Philippines, contacted Hypebit$ for a tryout.
Hypebit$ recalls the message: "If you pass, we’ll offer you good money and the rest is history."
What did they see in the budding content creator? "Actually, ang nakita nila yung grind and passion ko. Everything that I do and every game that I play, nag-e-excel ako e. Parang wala akong hindi natatapos na hindi ako nag-e-excel. Mayabang pakinggan pero ganun yung mindset ko.
"Nakita nila yung pagiging consistent ko as a streamer, nakita nila siguro yung sipag ko as a content creator. Imagine wala akong connections talaga."
Hypebit$ gives the hat tip to his content agency, saying that he wouldn't have reached the heights he's achieved without their help.
"I would say 50 percent ng career ko, nariyan sila para sa akin. Nandiyan sila para mag-support, magbigay ng advice, what to do, what not to do. Syempre sobrang thankful ako. Yung effort ko na ginawa, 101 percent binigay ko and thankful nakita nila yun."
And now here he is with Minana Esports. Does his new post mean that he's left Rumble Royale?
"Actually hindi sila same na agency. Yung Minana kasi is an esports organization while on the other hand, RR is a talent agency, so wala naman contradiction ito," explained Hypebit$. "They asked RR kung pwede ba kaming pumasok sa agency na ito and RR pa rin ako and brand ambassador ako ng Minana and Ampverse."
And with rumors surrounding Minana Esports, we may definitely be seeing more of Hypebit$ in succeeding years.
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