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Category: Gaming

  • Inox and ESFI join hands to bring esports to the big screen

    Inox and ESFI join hands to bring esports to the big screen

    Mumbai: Inox Leisure and Esports Federation of India (ESFI) on Monday announced their partnership that will witness Inox providing a community viewing experience of esports tournaments on the big screen.

    As an exclusive cinema partner, Inox will host and promote ESFI tournaments across the country. “This will help in building awareness and popularising esports besides offering world-class cinemas as esports and video gaming venues in cities all over India,” said the statement.

    Inox has supported Indian sports through various collaborations, including its longstanding partnership with the Indian Olympic Association. Inox and ESFI together aim to take esports to the masses using Inox cinemas as venues for hosting esports tournaments, streaming of live tournaments, providing training opportunities, and offering a talent scouting platform for future global events.

    “We are thrilled to bring the action of esports to the cinemas of Inox in collaboration with Esports Federation of India who has been working relentlessly to grow Indian esports and together, make esports, a mainstream sporting activity in India,” said Inox Leisure’s chief executive officer Alok Tandon. “With this association, we will build more esports IPs and who knows with our initiatives we can unearth a Neeraj Chopra or Abhinav Bindra in esports for our country.”

    “The exclusive partnership comes at a very right time when Asian Games is scheduled in the month of September and ESFI will soon launch ‘AESF’s Road to Asian Games’ to select the national esports contingent of our country. This partnership will see both ESFI and Inox together nurturing and developing the Indian esports talent pool wherein ESFI will bring more partners to further strengthen this objective and create a robust and thriving esports ecosystem,” said ESFI president and Olympic Council of Asia – NOC and international relations director Vinod Tiwari.

    As per the E&Y report, India currently has more than 1,50,000 professional esports players that have generated a viewership of 17 million people across 14 broadcast platforms, and the forecast is to have 1.5 million professional players with 85 million viewership from 20+ broadcasters by FY2025.

    The association will enable Inox to engage and offer an enticing content proposition to the age bracket of 15-24 years by promoting this new age sport that has the potential to garner a huge fan base and is expected to reach Rs 11 billion by FY2025 as per industry data.

    Through this partnership, Inox and ESFI will be jointly hosting city tournaments and building various esports IPs in order to intensify its growth, not just at the elite, but also at the grassroots level. The objective will be to introduce the charm of gamers and gaming enthusiasts, across the country, to take part in online as well as in-cinema tournaments, said the statement.

  • Non-metro locations emerging as hotbed for online gaming: Report

    Non-metro locations emerging as hotbed for online gaming: Report

    Mumbai: With the advent of technology, the online gaming industry has been growing aggressively for the last couple of years. Today with 433 million gamers, India is home to the world’s second-largest online gaming market by volume. To understand the changing dynamic of the e-gaming industry, ZEE5 has released its Intelligence Monitor report on online gaming consumer insights and trends. 

    The report aims to get a deeper understanding of the changes that are influencing the landscape basis of a consumer survey by ZEE5.

    The objective is to gauge the changes in consumption patterns and consumer attitudes in India based on a survey conducted with ZEE5 viewers in over 146 cities. Let’s look at the report’s findings to understand expected and asynchronous e-commerce industry trends.

    According to ZEEL chief operations officer – revenue Rajiv Bakshi, entertainment and gaming have a symbiotic relationship owing to the mind space both occupy amongst consumers. “We have lots of female leads hailing from almost every market in India. Marketers can leverage their popularity to build stronger relationships with their audience,” said Bakshi talking about how “ZEE5 can be a partner to the e-gaming brands in building trust among prospective customers. “ZEE5 has a lot of actionable insights already available to them such as their current aspirations, what they are consuming, and how they are spending their time that will be helpful to the e-gaming players in connecting with these audiences.”

    Following are the findings from the ZEE5 report:

    Online gaming cuts across demographics and cohorts.

    The report reveals that 59 per cent of survey participants are presently involved in online gaming. If we talk about the demography, 57 per cent of females prefer playing online games against 60 per cent of males. A significant reason behind this shift is the democratisation of affordable smartphones and internet penetration. Another eye-catching data point discovered in the research is the number of games users play. The survey reveals that 58 per cent of the audiences have more than three games installed on their phone at a time. Seeing the data findings, Gaussian Network CEO   says, what we currently see is just the tip of the iceberg as far as online gaming in India is concerned. With a massive user base that cuts across demographics, the ability of gaming brands to tap and monetise it will determine the future.

    Consumers’ gaming habits evolved sharply during the lockdown

    The report also reveals that lockdown has fueled the online gaming industry’s growth significantly. This brought a significant shift in the ways audiences engage in entertainment and recreation activities. Undoubtedly the pandemic followed by a series of lockdowns brought in-person socializing to a grinding halt, and people were left with limited options for entertainment. If we go by the survey, more than 50 per cent of the respondents registered an increase in their online gaming consumption, with over 53 per cent of respondents playing online games at least five times a week. Three out of every four respondents play at least one and half hours every day, stated the report.

    Games24x7 head of digital marketing Vatsal Shah also agrees that the online gaming industry has seen a massive spike in engagement since the pandemic. “In addition to traditional entertainment content, gaming emerged as a leading form of recreation led by growth across parameters of consumption and engagement,” he said.

    Online gaming has grown across genres

    Coming to the gaming genres, the report found that the audience’s preference is evenly split between casual, fantasy, and multiplayer games. While male audiences indicate a preference for fantasy sports and multiplayer games, female participants prefer casual gaming.

    TV and OTT platforms influence the consumption of online gaming

    The ZEE5 Intelligence Report also highlighted that the propensity of consumers interacting with one game increases once they see an ad. And it’s no hidden fact that advertising builds trust and brand recall value in the minds of the consumers. But how can e-gaming brands advertise when platforms like playstore don’t allow fantasy and real money games to be listed. Here comes the advantage of the OTT platforms.

    Interestingly, TV and OTT platforms have been the major influencers to boost online gaming consumption. The report stated that one out of two gamers are likely to try a new game after watching an advertisement on TV or OTT. As the gaming industry matures and gamers open up to new and innovative concepts, we can expect exciting collaborations and crossover developments in the space that could unlock substantial value, adds Bakshi.

    Non-metro locations are emerging as a hotbed for online gaming.

    One of the most critical findings of the report is the growth of online gaming in non-metro locations. According to the survey, the growth in non-metro locations outstripped metros. While 63 per cent of non-metro users played at least five times a week, 39 per cent of the respondents played for more than 60 minutes, with the corresponding number for metros at 43 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively. At the same time, non-metro audiences have a higher frequency of playing online games.

    As far as the genre is concerned, fantasy gaming is taking the lead in non-metro locations. Surprisingly, 39 per cent of the respondents preferred online fantasy sports games.

    The survey by ZEE5 is sufficient to prove how gaming has now emerged as a pan-India phenomenon. Experts believe while some challenges persist, the increased exposure and accessibility to online gaming among users augur well for the industry. However, for gaming companies, particularly those involving real money, their inability to advertise due to regulatory restrictions remains a considerable hurdle to raising awareness among the consumers.

  • Gaming platform A23 becomes associate title sponsor of PVL 2022

    Gaming platform A23 becomes associate title sponsor of PVL 2022

    Mumbai: Online gaming platform A23 has announced that it will be the associate title sponsor for the forthcoming Rupay Prime Volleyball League (PVL) 2022, amping up the excitement quotient for one of the fast-growing franchise-led sporting leagues in the country. This year, PVL will be broadcasted live on Sony Six and Sony Ten 3 with live streaming on SPNI’s OTT platform Sony LIV.  

    PVL returns after a two-year break and A23, as an official title sponsor of the games, intends to support and encourage a team sport like volleyball to the forefront and connect the nation with a common spirit. A23 also hopes to build and enhance its reputation as the most preferred online gaming platform for users with a passion for serious online gaming. “This association will offer A23 access to key PVL players from the league, television spots and strategic in-stadia branding, showcasing the brand as a professional responsible gaming platform for gamers to harness their skills in becoming a champion of the game,” said the statement.

    “It is a privilege for the Prime Volleyball League to be powered by a leading online gaming platform like A23. It is great to see that A23 has taken keen interest and invested in a sport that is fast-paced, exciting and perfectly matched for our young and dynamic nation,” said Baseline Ventures MD Tuhin Mishra, on behalf of the PVL. “Volleyball and online gaming have made significant strides in recent years and we hope such partnerships continue to mutually benefit each other.”

    Beginning on 5 February, the league will be held in Hyderabad and will feature seven franchises from seven different cities ― Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, and Kolkata Thunderbolts. The grand finale of the league will be held on 27 February, culminating in three weeks of high voltage, competitive and exciting action.

    “The collaboration with Prime Volleyball League comes at a perfect time for us in our attempt to build further on our already existing brand as a market leader in the gaming space,” stated Head Digital Works founder and CEO Deepak Gullapalli. “I hope the road ahead promises exciting propositions for our A23 users as Volleyball will give us a chance to support the sport in the years to come, and in turn, gain substantial traction for our brand.”

  • Anand Rajwanshi appointed as CCO at Penta Esports

    Anand Rajwanshi appointed as CCO at Penta Esports

    Mumbai: Penta Esports, the e-sports brand of India-based gaming and e-sports company Newgen Gaming, has announced the appointment of Anand Rajwanshi as chief creative officer (CCO). 

    In this new role, Rajwanshi will be heading the company’s creative initiatives and bringing the brand’s ideas to life, said the statement.

    Prior to joining Penta Esports Gaming, Rajwanshi worked with Azzura International as chief operating officer and Publicis Groupe as associate vice president. While his gaming experience spans back to Kreeda, Reliance Games and training faculties at Aptech. With more than two decades in the industry, he is a seasoned professional delivering award-winning creative products for brands like Disney, Tata Motors, Nestle, and Airtel among others.

    “I have worked with Anand in the past and have always admired his creative approach and vision. I believe his addition to the team will be immensely beneficial to the brand as he shapes the creative messaging going forward,” said Penta Esports founder and CEO Anurag Khurana.

    Newgen Gaming operates in e-sports with Penta Esports. Rajwanshi will be working alongside internal and external teams to lead the creative conception and execution for all of Penta Esports’ initiatives including live broadcast and video IPs.

    “I was fortunate to be in the first batch of people who were responsible for starting the gaming industry in India. Having worked in several verticals, I feel gaming is the only domain to challenge every talent present in me,” commented Anand Rajwanshi. “Getting back into gaming is the full circle that I needed. I look forward to teaming up with movers and shakers of esports in India.”

  • Trinity Gaming bags influencer management mandate for Chemin Esports

    Trinity Gaming bags influencer management mandate for Chemin Esports

    Mumbai: Homegrown gaming talent management company Trinity Gaming has joined hands with Chemin Esports, a Gurugram-based e-sports team, for its influencer management business mandate.

    This partnership will aim to offer concrete career opportunities and will focus to ensure sustained revenue for the esports athletes & gaming content creators through Trinity’s efficient talent management services, said the statement. 

    “Trinity Gaming and Chemin Esports, together, plan to create different IPs primarily including tournaments and collaborative marketing initiatives and supporting the young esports talents to thrive. This joint initiative will also enable gaming content creators to collaborate with popular endemic and non-endemic brands,” it added.

    “Our aim is to add more value to our mission to provide strength and help talented esports athletes and content creators to sustain themselves. We are here to offer them a stabilised career in gaming,” said Trinity Gaming co-founder and CEO Abhishek Aggarwal. “Chemin Esports is a young platform with ace professionalism and shares our vision, the key component why this collaboration will bring more positive impact on the esports segment. We are sure the association would only favour our common purpose.”

    Chemin Esports which came into existence in 2020 and in a short span of time has been one of the leading BGMI and Free Fire teams in the country. Its Free Fire line up crowned winners in Esportz Premier Series 2021 and grabbed third spot in Esports Premier League 2021, whereas its BGMI team came second in Skyesports Mobile Open. Both the lineups are invited for the next official tournament i.e. Free Fire Pro League India 2021 and BGIS, said the statement.

    “We at Chemin Esports aims to help esports athletes, Trinity Gaming being a pioneer in the gaming talent management sector will lead to expansion of the ideas, content and future IPs,” said Chemin Esports co-founder Ishan Verma. “We are happy to be joining hands with Trinity Gaming and will soon be coming up with great concepts and ideations both in the gaming and esports sectors of the industry.” 

  • Baazi Games forays into hyper-casual gaming with Baazi Mobile Gaming

    Baazi Games forays into hyper-casual gaming with Baazi Mobile Gaming

    Mumbai: Homegrown online gaming platform Baazi Games has further diversified its portfolio with the addition of Baazi Mobile Gaming (BMG) – an end-to-end social interactive gaming application. 

    Launched with the objective of building a community of users with the right combination of cognitive, problem solving, and risk-taking skills, the application will focus on games that will range from testing hand-eye coordination skills, memory and problem-solving skills of the individual.

    BMG intends to reach out to audiences across various age groups, socio-economic groups, and cities with a special focus on tier 2 and 3 cities, said the brand in a statement. “BMG aims to keep the gaming inventory dynamic with a touch of Indian element to all its games, avoiding user monopoly and it will also host tournaments across diverse genres of games,” it added.

    “Baazi Games has always banked on innovation to build our products,” said Baazi Games head of business intelligence Mohit Pandita. “Through BMG, our intention is to create a perfect amalgamation of casual gaming and real money gaming. The application will follow a user-first approach and bank on Baazi’s USP of being a ‘Trust’ driven brand.”

    He further added, “We want to make our users understand that real money skill-based gaming is purely dependent on one’s skills and how one masters it over the time. We are focusing on propagating the same message across all our communication streams with our tagline ‘Lagao Skills ki Baazi’ and build awareness about the skills necessary for gaming.”

    The application shall be promoted with a digital-first approach to reach out to a wider audience base and will be supported by physical event-based initiatives throughout the year, said the statement.

  • India’s gaming market set to become $7 bn in FY2026: RedSeer & Lumikai

    India’s gaming market set to become $7 bn in FY2026: RedSeer & Lumikai

    Mumbai: India’s gaming market is set to grow three times in the next five years and become $ seven billion in FY2026, said Lumikai and Redseer in their latest report – ‘India Gaming Report 2021.’

    While in-app purchases remain the fastest-growing revenue stream of the market with an increasing number of paid users, their growing propensity to pay is driving the growth. According to the report, paid gamers in India are set to touch 235 million in 2025, from 80 million gamers in 2020 which will drive the growth of paid gamers.

    Real-money games are the largest source of revenue for the market, but IAPs will grow faster for the next five years at 30-40 per cent with the rise of paying users in casual and hyper-casual gaming. Further, non-RMG gaming segments are expected to grow faster than the market growth rate, with eSports and streaming are expected to grow at 40-45 per cent CAGR for the next five years.

    “We at Infinix are dedicated to providing the best gaming experience to our customers with our value driven product offerings. To empower gamers and make gaming-focused smartphones available for everyone, even for those from the remotest areas of the nation, we have been focusing on R&D like never before and are constantly trying to improve ourselves with each product that we bring to the market,” stated Infinix CEO Anish Kapoor. “Our indigenous DarLink game-boost technology is just one example of our efforts in this direction. With this partnership, we aim to open doors and give new opportunities to the growing gaming talent in India. We are confident that Indian players will not only win but will also encourage the Indian gaming pool in a global platform like WEC.”

    An average gamer spends $16-a-year on gaming, and it takes around one week to start paying to play games, as per the report.

    Apart from the increasing maturity of gamers and their propensity to pay, gamers are embracing the trend of playing “India-first content” games. Over 60 per cent of gamers are willing to play games with an Indian central theme or characters like from mythology or celebrities, showed the report.

    “This is an exciting time for the gaming ecosystem in India. Access to gaming is democratised with increasing participation from Tier-2 cities and beyond, gamers are maturing in the way they play different gaming genres, and unprecedented growth in new-paying users (NPU) to drive the overall gaming market to become three-times in the next five years,” said RedSeer engagement manager Mukesh Kumar.

    Lumikai Fund general partner Justin Keeling said the inaugural report represents the most in-depth analysis of India’s gaming market ever undertaken, and the goal was to face the core assumptions on the true potential of the market.

    “What has emerged is a picture of the market that already exceeds preconceived notions around size, growth, sophistication, and most importantly propensity to pay. India’s gaming market is due to three times in value to over $ seven billion by 2025, driven by a healthy diversity of monetisation mechanics that indicate plenty of white spaces for new investment, and massive potential for a new generation of leaders across the gaming value chain. We are excited to continue being at the forefront of India’s gaming investment landscape as the market matures and evolves to the next level,” he added.

  • Trinity Gaming forays into South India, announces partnership with Blind Esports

    Trinity Gaming forays into South India, announces partnership with Blind Esports

    Mumbai: Homegrown gaming talent management company Trinity Gaming has strengthened its influencer’s management portfolio by signing Blind Esports, which is known to have the best e-sports rosters and content creators on board in the southern part of the country.

    With an aim to provide the best talent management services to the dynamic professional players of the team, the partnership will create opportunities to connect them with brands and support them in monetising their craft, said the statement.

    “We have always strived to provide the best of services to our content creators and helped them financially to stabilise their career in gaming,” stated Trinity Gaming co-founder and CEO Abhishek Aggarwal. “We are extremely delighted to have professional players of Blind Esports on board as it will open more opportunities not only for the esports team but also for Trinity Gaming as we will be able to explore deeper bonds in the southern part of India as an agency.”

    Blind Esports have emerged champions in some of the biggest esports tournaments including BGMI titles in Thug Invitational, Nimo TV Cup, KPL season 3, and were the finalists in PMCO Fall Split 2019 and, Free Fire titles in FFCO 2021 and Booyah Summer League 2021. The team also finished fourth in the India Cup Open in Call of Duty Mobile.

    Trinity Gaming will help Blind Esports creators to not only grow but also provide them with graphic assistance, PR, educate them about social media presence, outreach and engagement, and how to benefit from all such activities both monetarily as well as establishing themselves in the gaming industry, said the company in a statement. 

    The agency will educate the talents to develop the best content for audiences, facilitate brand deals for the influencers, and get notable attention for both brand and influencers, it added.

    “We have always been aiming to partner with an esports talent management sector to provide better opportunities to our players and we are delighted that Trinity Gaming would be helping us in carrying forward that vision for our team. We aim to create a national footprint for ourselves and our players and creators,” said Blind Esports owner Arjun Suresh, who is popularly known as ‘Blind Satan.’

  • CA Media exits, sells OML gaming biz to Nodwin for Rs 73 cr

    CA Media exits, sells OML gaming biz to Nodwin for Rs 73 cr

    New Delhi: South Asia-based esports company Nodwin Gaming which is also an independent subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Ltd has acquired the gaming and adjacent IP business of OML Entertainment for Rs 73 crores. The mega-deal will provide partial liquidity to OML Entertainment shareholders, including CA Media.

    OML Entertainment MD Ajay Nair will join the Nodwin Gaming board as part of this transaction and will work with Nodwin Gaming MD Akshat Rathee and its management team to ensure smooth integration of the OML IPs with Nodwin Gaming and help with growing Nodwin Gaming’s business, the company announced on Friday. 

    The acquisition taps into a growing synergy between the two companies. While Nodwin Gaming is known for its esports and gaming expertise, OML Entertainment is known for managing some of India’s biggest gaming and entertainment creators such as Tanmay Bhat, Samay Raina and for owning and executing storied IPs such as the ‘Bacardi NH7 Weekender’ well-attended comedy touring properties such as ‘LOLstars’ and ‘Headliners’ and India’s biggest hip-hop league – ‘Breezer Vivid Shuffle’. OML Entertainment also works with some big brands in India to produce well-known properties such as the ‘Levi’s Music Week’ and ‘YouTube FanFest’. 

    The deal also allows Nodwin Gaming to massify gaming and esports by tapping into emerging synergies in gaming entertainment that a 14-30-year-old is looking for. 

    “Nodwin Gaming strongly believes that continuous growth in the IP portfolio is central to building a vibrant ecosystem of fans, talent, broadcasters and brands,” said Akshat Rathee. “The addition of some of the largest IPs in India like ‘NH7 weekender’ is going to accelerate the massification of esports and gaming entertainment across the spectrum of fans and brands.  The proven capability of the brilliant team that joins us from OML Entertainment will further ensure that we can execute and monetise our IPs.” 

    OML’s Ajay Nair said the company believes in the convergence of different pop culture genres and has seen that this has already happened across several platforms and IPs. “Over the past years, our experience working with Nodwin Gaming has been very fruitful and we are confident that our live IPs and the teams that execute them have found a good home at Nodwin Gaming. OML Entertainment will continue to focus on building its OTT content production, talent management, and branded content businesses,” he said.

  • Nazara acquires skill gaming platform OpenPlay for Rs 186 cr

    Nazara acquires skill gaming platform OpenPlay for Rs 186 cr

    Mumbai: Nazara Technologies, home-grown diversified gaming and sports media platform has announced that it has acquired 100 per cent stake in Hyderabad-based skill gaming company OpenPlay for a total consideration of Rs 186.4 crores.

    OpenPlay operates a multi-game consumer gaming platform under the “Classic Games” brand which hosts popular skill-based games while following high standards of technology, game fairness, advance player protection, security, AML and advertising standards. It currently has an annualised gross gaming revenue run rate of Rs 80 cr and is operating on EBITDA positive margins.

    Nazara CEO Manish Agarwal said, “The OpenPlay acquisition offers an opportunity for Nazara to build a network of skill gaming destinations operating on one common tech platform under the proven leadership of Sreeram and his team at OpenPlay. Sreeram is a successful entrepreneur globally in online real money gaming and we are excited that he will be leading Nazara’s growth in this sector.”

    OpenPlay is led by Sreeram Reddy Vanga who is a serial entrepreneur in the global online gaming industry. In his previous avatar, he founded and led CozyGames to become the second largest Bingo network in the UK before being acquired. He was also part of the early team at PartyGaming which went IPO on London Stock Exchange in 2005.

    Sreeram Reddy Vanga said, “I’m excited to join the ‘Friends of Nazara Network’ and look forward to working closely with Nazara leadership and the Network to build India’s largest vernacular social gaming and entertainment platform. Our technology complemented by Nazara’s positioning in the gaming industry in India is the perfect combination for this endeavour.”

    The “Friends of Nazara” network comprises established gaming companies in which Nazara holds majority stakes and works actively with existing founders and management teams to rapidly achieve scale. These companies include Nodwin Gaming and Sportskeeda in Esports Next Wave Multimedia, developer of World Cricket Championship (WCC), the largest mobile-based cricket simulation game and Paper Boat Apps, developers of popular gamified early learning app Kiddopia.