The rise of digital sports gaming industry

Digital revolution and transformation in India have been the fuel to the gaming industry at large. Pushed further by the start-up culture, the number of people playing online games in India by 2019 crossed 300 million and is only expected to grow manifolds.
The Federation of Electronic Sports Associations of India (FEAI) is the apex body for esports in India. FEAI has also mentioned that the Indian esports industry will touch Rs 1100 cr by FY2025. Experts say that this growth will come on the back of cricket as multiple companies and start-ups focus on developing the country’s overall sports ecosystem. FEAI is also working in partnership with JetSynthesys, to organize a cricket e-gaming championship.

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Members at FEAI also mentioned the forthcoming policy paper, which will help to define the future of esports in the country. The work will involve policy intervention and the promotion of animation, visual effects, gaming and comics at national and state levels. This also helps define an outlook for the talent development ecosystem encompassing a spectrum of skill sets, businesses, job creation, education and revenue generation for the nation.

Today India, with its range of esports brands and start-ups, has entered a medal-winning league at international tournaments. Similar to traditional sports, in esports as well the players of the gaming sector are given proper coaching and paid salaries. This exponential growth has made many existing brands develop a new division in their brands to develop games, train teams and organize esports tournaments.

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Let’s take a look into some of the leading brands in esports in India;

Nazara Technology

Founded by Nitish Mittersain with HQ in Mumbai, Nazara is considered one of the most prominent esports brands in India, offering gaming solutions across India, Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and Latin America.  They are actively distributing top games like the Motu Patlu game, Chotta Bheem Race and World Cricket Championship.

Jetsynthesys

Founded by Rajan Navani, Jetsynthesys are expert in developing games. Building unique experiences with their games like Sachin Saga Cricket Champions, they allow users to relive some of the classic cricket moments. A few other game development brands in the market are PlaySimple, 99Games, and Lakshya Digital who also have a global audience.

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Nodwin Group

Founded by Akshat Rathee, Nodwin group produces online content for gaming, gaming shows, live content inspired by the pop culture of India. They have multiple business verticals that include Cosplay Genie (tutorials for people who wish to take part in pop culture such as Comic-Con), Beyond the Game ( A game merchandise to platform) and Esports 360 (a news portal for interested gamers), all rather popular.

Gaming Monk

Abhay Sharma and Ashwin Haryani founded the brand as an e-commerce platform for games and transformed it into an esports event organizer. They conduct online and offline sports tournaments in India and are striving to build a gaming community which can compete against each other for many tournaments.

Neon Gaming Studio (NGS)

Founded by Purvish Kothari, NGS is known to have organized a successful LAN tournament in 2014 across multiple titles. They are also holding various online gaming tournaments in different cities of India. The brand offers a one-stop solution for gaming to their users and sponsors teams participating in International tournaments.

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Team Brutality (TB)

Founded by Ankit Panth, Team Brutality is powered by Dell offering them a gaming system like Alienwire, Gaming notebooks and Gaming monitors. A leading team in the CSGO community, TB aims to become the best-performing team of Asia and is also registered with racing game squads – Need for Speed, Forza Motor Sports amongst others.

League of Extraordinary Gamers (LXG)

LXG is India’s best gaming lounge for gamers. They sponsor the team representing India at international championships. Their high-end PCs, latest graphic cards and processors, support the gamers’ performance.

With improvements in the supply and penetration of smartphones, increased bandwidth of the internet and more globally aware audiences via the digital revolution, esports has gained popularity amongst all age groups, from young adults to mid-aged men and women to people above 60 years old. With more competitive video games continuing to grow and integrate popular culture into the gaming aspect, investors, brands, and more potential consumers are paying more attention to the rise and popularity of esports.

This will only give rise to career opportunities in the growing sector. Whether coaching or training the gamers, managing teams and their operations, to brand managers, sponsorship managers to sports marketing experts, there will be requirements at all fronts – brands, associations, leagues, policy and framework, amongst other things. Become an expert in esports management with MBA in Sports Management from MBA-ESG. Here you will be equipped with the right tools, interactive workshops and international masterclasses that will offer you a vast network to engage with and learn from.

Author: Mankiran