Wizards of the Coast
Hong Kong-based Magic: The Gathering pro player Lee Shi Tian was recently inducted to Magic's Hall of Fame, and he's the first one from the Asia Pacific region outside of Japan to make it. In his Hall of Fame induction speech last week, the Hall of Famer took the time to talk about the need for more support in the APAC region.
Lee Shi Tian hopes that more players with potential from the APAC region will also be recognized, and said that "it's worth contributing resources to this region."
The lack of Magic: The Gathering support in the APAC region is one of the issues Gerry Thompson addressed when he protested the state of professional Magic in September. When Channelfireball Events announced the 2019 Magicfest schedule last month, players complained about the lack of Grand Prix events in the APAC region. There are only two GPs outside of Japan next year: Taipei and Bangkok. However, DailyMTG Editor-in-Chief Blake Rasmussen said that CFB Events are still trying to determine another Magicfest that will most likely take place in the APAC region at the fourth quarter of 2019. It didn't take long for Lee to respond to the GP cut:
Hopefully, Wizards of the Coast will do more to support the players like me in the APAC region and the rest of the world as Lee said, "I hope we have a better system for all the players in the world, and I hope Magic will have a bright future all over the world."