ITV

Tag: Esports Federation of India

  • ESFI opens registrations for National Esports Championships 2024

    ESFI opens registrations for National Esports Championships 2024

    Mumbai: Esports Federation of India (ESFI) has opened the registrations for the highly anticipated National Esports Championships (NESC) 2024, marking the start of the journey towards the 16th World Esports Championships (WEC) which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

    Organized by the International Esports Federation (IESF), the WEC 2024 will witness a total of 609 teams representing their countries across five game titles – Counter Strike 2 (Open and Female), Dota2, eFootball™ series, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Open and Female), and PUBG MOBILE. The prestigious tournament will kick off on November 11 and feature a whopping prize pool of $1 million prize pool being distributed among the top eight teams in each game title and category for the first time.

    The NESC 2024 will provide a platform for players across India to demonstrate their prowess in DOTA 2 (Open), eFootball (Open), and Counter-Strike 2 in the open and female categories. The winners will advance to the regional qualifiers where they will compete against other Asian countries to secure their berth for the global finals of the WEC 2024.

    Commenting on the commencement of the NESC 2024, Esports Federation of India president Vinod Tiwari stated, “After a historic 2023, where India made its debut at the Asian Games 2022, we are excited to embark on a new year of opportunities with the NESC 2024. Last year, we hosted the country’s inaugural female CS:GO qualifiers, where the winning team made it all the way to the Asian qualifiers. This time, we anticipate even greater achievements from our country’s talented female athletes. Overall, we are looking forward to witnessing the talent and passion of all Esports players throughout the qualifiers.”

    One of the country’s top sports & Esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as its official communication partner.

    The registrations for NESC 2023 are now open and will continue until 15 April. All details about the registrations will be available on ESFI’s discord server – https://discord.gg/esfi

    The online qualifiers will kick off from 18 April and will be played in a double-elimination format. The exciting action from the Championships will be streamed live on ESFI’s official YouTube and Facebook pages.

    — 

  • Union Budget 2024: Government support and tax relief key for Indian esports industry’s growth

    Union Budget 2024: Government support and tax relief key for Indian esports industry’s growth

    Mumbai: Since the Indian government’s official recognition of Esports as a multi-sport event, the industry has witnessed substantial growth as a new-age sport. The sector’s journey to mainstream recognition reached new heights with its inclusion as an official medal sport in the Asian Games 2022 and its potential entry into the Olympics.

    With finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to present the interim Budget for fiscal 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha on 1 February, the Esports community is optimistic about the prospects of government support.

    Esports Federation of India director & Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP Lokesh Suji noted, “We hope to see a dedicated allocation of funds for the Esports sector, alongside incentives for Indian video game development studios. This will not only encourage innovation but also enable homegrown titles to prosper within the community. To ensure the long-term success of our Esports athletes and attract more aspiring players to pursue careers in Esports, we also hope for tax relief for athletes on winnings from Esports tournaments. ESFI will remain committed to working closely with the government to further elevate the status of Esports in the country.”

    According to the “Leveling up: State of India Gaming FY’23” report by Lumikai in collaboration with Google, the Indian gaming industry clocked $3.1 Bn in FY23 and is set to hit $7.5 Bn by FY28.

    “The Esports industry is growing at an impressive percentage and is only forecasted to grow. We hope for fair support and conducive policies from the government in the upcoming budget to further foster this growth,” said 8Bit Creatives founder & CEO and S8UL co-founder Animesh Agarwal.

    Recognizing the industry’s potential, states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala are actively engaging with Esports by organizing tournaments, establishing Esports academies, and partnering with the sector’s organizations or publishers.

    Highlighting how the involvement of state governments can be leveraged to enable the development of the video gaming community, Gods Reign CEO K R Rohith commented, “We hope for the government’s consideration and support in encouraging educational programs by adding Esports into Educational Curriculums and skill development initiatives focused on gaming and Esports. This would contribute significantly to nurturing talent within the sector, aligning with the national agenda of promoting digital skills. In addition, we earnestly suggest the allocation of funds to each state government for the organization and promotion of State Esports Championships. This collaborative effort with prominent esports organisations at the state level, starting from the school level to the national level, will undoubtedly contribute to the organic growth of esports across the nation.”

    Furthermore, there is also a call to reduce the GST on esports activities from 28 per cent to 18 per cent and introduction of regulations.

    “From budget 2024, one of the major steps I look forward to is more ‘Esports’ based activities moving to 18 per cent slab (from 28 per cent slab). Apart from this, I’m also looking forward to the government encouraging more state governments to assign budgets for the growth and promotion of Esports (similar to Bihar). Lastly, more regulations in terms of in-game and tournament winnings are expected to come in,” emphasised  Alpha Zegus founder & director Rohit Agarwal.

    With all eyes on the upcoming budget, the esports community is hopeful that government support will pave the way for a sustainable and thriving esports ecosystem in India.

  • India’s Esports contingent concludes historic debut campaign at Asian Games 2022

    India’s Esports contingent concludes historic debut campaign at Asian Games 2022

    Mumbai: India’s 15-member Esports contingent wrapped up its remarkable journey at the ongoing Asian Games 2022 as the nation’s DOTA 2 team exited the competition at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on Friday.

    The DOTA 2 squad led by skipper Darshan Bata (A35), and comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) endured a 0-1 defeat against Kyrgyzstan in their opening group game before going down 0-1 against the Philippines in the second group stage game to bow out of the competition.

    In what was Esports’ debut as an official medal sport at the prestigious tournament, India had participated in four of the seven total titles namely: DOTA 2, League of Legends, EA Sports FC Online, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.

    “We are proud of our Esports athletes’ resolute efforts and gritty performances at the Asian Games 2022. Each and every athlete from the contingent is an inspiration for India’s budding Esports community that wants to represent their country in Esports. This tournament has provided an invaluable experience and motivation for our Esports athletes to build upon and enhance their gameplay for the future,” said Esports Federation of India director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP Lokesh Suji.

    India’s prolific League of Legends team captained by Akshaj Shenoy (Kai), and comprising Samarth Arvind Trivedi (CrankO), Mihir Ranjan (Lotus), Sanindhya Malik (Deadcorp), Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Aditya Selvaraj (Krow) finished fifth at 19th Asian Games after suffering a hard-fought 0-2 defeat against Vietnam in the quarter finals.

    The country’s star EA Sports FC Online athlete, Charanjot Singh, secured the ninth place out of a total pool of 36 leading athletes from the continent in this competition. The 20-year-old began his campaign with a 0:2 defeat to China’s Liu Jiacheng in the Round of 32 but bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins against Aristorenas Jorrel of Philippines, Alrowaihi RKM of Bahrain, and Yessentayev Olzhas of Kazakhstan in the Losers Bracket Round 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

    However, his campaign came to an end after enduring another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in the Losers Bracket Round 4. His compatriot Karman Singh exited the competition after going down by 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari of Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2.

    “Despite the competition being fierce, our League of Legends team secured a remarkable fifth-place finish, while Charanjot Singh achieved a commendable ninth place among the continent’s top EA Sports FC Online athletes. We are now eagerly anticipating the Asian Games 2026, where Esports will once again be an official medal sport, and our full-strength Indian contingent will give their all in pursuit of glory,” added Lokesh Suji.

    In Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, the talented Ayan Biswas clinched a Top 16 place for India. He began his campaign on a winning note against Nguyen Khanh Hung Chau of Vietnam from the Round of 32 suffering a defeat against Alrayfal Abdulrahman Salem A of Saudi Arabia in the Winners Bracket Round 1. He then beat Vietnam’s Nguyen again by 2-0 in the Losers Bracket Round 2 but fell short against Yeh Man Ho of Hong Kong in the Losers Bracket Round 3.

    Ayan’s teammate, Mayank Prajapati began his tournament against Rajikhan Talal Fuad T of Saudi Arabia and fought valiantly in a fiercely contested 1-2 defeat. He then endured another loss against Al-Mannai Abdulla of Qatar by 0-2 in the Losers Bracket Round 1 and exited the tournament.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports made its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 where a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competed for gold medals in seven different titles.

     

  • India’s DOTA 2 team eyes success at Asian Games 2022

    India’s DOTA 2 team eyes success at Asian Games 2022

    Mumbai: India’s premier DOTA 2 team is gearing up to recreate their stunning success at the Commonwealth Esports Championships as they take on Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in their opening group stage games of the Asian Games 2022 at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on 29 September.

    Led by skipper Darshan Bata (A35), the skilled DOTA 2 unit comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) has been drawn into Group A, where they are scheduled to compete against Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines in Best-of-One (BO1) single round-robin format matches. The top-ranked team from this group will advance to face Nepal in the quarter-finals on 30 September.

    All matches in the elimination stage for DOTA 2 will be contested in the head-to-head, Best-of-Three (BO3) single elimination format. There will be a total of 14 notable teams participating in the title.

    “As the captain of the team, I feel an immense sense of responsibility and pride in leading the country’s first-ever DOTA 2 team at the Asian Games. The entire team has been practicing constantly in the build-up to the tournament as all of us understand the honor of representing India at such a prestigious competition. With the constant support of ESFI throughout our journey, we are ready to give our all and make the country proud by bringing home a medal,” said DOTA 2 team captain Darshan Bata.

    The squad sealed their qualification for the Asian Games 2022, by prevailing in the finals of the National Esports Championships (NESC) organized by Esports Federation of India (ESFI) last year. The team’s experienced players Ketan, Abhishek, and Shubham were part of the iconic squad that scripted history by clinching the bronze medal at last year’s inaugural Commonwealth Esports Championships in Birmingham.

    Sharing his thoughts on the talented team participating in the tournament, Esports Federation of India director & Asian Esports Federation (AESF) vice president Lokesh Suji expressed, “At ESFI, we have witnessed the incredible growth of Esports in India and the extraordinary talent that has emerged from our nation. This DOTA 2 team consists of some of the finest players in the country who have already proved their mettle at the Commonwealth Esports Championships last year. We are confident that they will perform at a similar level in Hangzhou and bring laurels for the country.”

    One of the country’s top sports and Esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as its official communication partner.

    On Sunday, India’s Charanjot Singh and Karman Tikka bowed out of the Asian Games 2022 after suffering hard-fought defeats in EA Sports FC Online.

    Charanjot suffered a 0:2 defeat to China’s Liu Jiacheng in his opening game but bounced back strongly with three consecutive wins. He won by 2:0 against Aristorenas Jorrel of Philippines, 2-1 against Alrowaihi RKM of Bahrain, and 2-0 against Yessentayev Olzhas of Kazakhstan in the Losers Bracket Round 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

    However, his campaign came to an end after enduring another 0-2 defeat against Liu Jiacheng of China in the Losers Bracket Round 4. The 20-year-old finished in the Top 16.

    On the other hand, Karman Singh went down fighting in a 1-2 loss against Faqeehi Abdulaziz Abdullatif of Bahrain in his tournament opener. Similar to Charanjot, he too made a strong comeback by defeating Kiswani Abdelrahman of Palestine by 2-1 in the Losers Bracket Round 1 before going down by 1-2 against Aldhafiri Meshari of Kuwait in the Losers Bracket Round 2 to exit the competition.

    On Tuesday, two of the country’s most distinguished Street Fighter V: Champion Edition athletes, Mayank Prajapati (MiKeYROG) and Ayan Biswas (AYAN01) will embark on their pursuit for a medal from the Round of 32 stage. Mayank will go head to head against T.F. Rajikhan of Saudi Arabia while his teammate, Ayan Biswas, will be up against K.H.C Nguyen of Vietnam.

    Following the Street Fighter V: Champion Edition fixtures, the nation’s star-studded League of Legends which has been seeded directly to the quarter-finals will begin its campaign on 27 September. As a result of dominating the recently held Central and South Asia seeding event and clinching top seed, the team has gained direct entry into the top-8 of the tournament and will face Vietnam in its tournament opener.

  • Asian Games 2022: Official draws for Esports announced; India set to kick off campaign on 24 September

    Asian Games 2022: Official draws for Esports announced; India set to kick off campaign on 24 September

    Mumbai: The highly anticipated draws for all Esports titles at the ongoing Asian Games 2022 have been officially announced with India set to commence with its campaign in EA Sports FC Online at the China Hangzhou Esports Centre on 24 September. Esports Federation of India director and Asian Esports Federation (AESF) vice president Lokesh Suji had the privilege of conducting the draws for the Esports titles, alongside AESF general secretary Sebastian Lau and AESF CEO Steve Kim.

    The country’s supremely talented EA Sports FC Online athletes Charanjot Singh (Charanjot12_) secured top seed at the South Asia seeding event for the tournament while his equally talented teammate Karman Singh (tikkatown) clinched fifth seed. Due to their seeding advantage, both athletes will kick off their campaigns from the Round of 32 stage with Charanjot squaring off against Liu Jiacheng of China and Karman facing A.A. Faqeehi of Bahrain in the Round of 32.

    A total of 36 athletes from 20 countries are participating in the well-renowned EA Sports FC Online title. All matches will be played in the Double Elimination and Best-of-Three (BO3) format

    Following the commencement of EA Sports FC Online’s fixtures, two of the country’s most distinguished Street Fighter V: Champion Edition athletes, Mayank Prajapati (MiKeYROG) and Ayan Biswas (AYAN01) will embark on their pursuit for a medal in their respective title on 26 September. In the seeding event for South and East Asia, Prajapati clinched fifth seed and Biswas secured sixth seed and will hence begin their campaign from the Round of 32 stage.

    In the Round of 32, Prajapati will go head to head against T.F. Rajikhan of Saudi Arabia while his teammate, Ayan Biswas, will be up against K.H.C Nguyen of Vietnam. The Street Fighter V: Champion Edition title will witness a total of 35 notable athletes from 22 countries battling it out for a historic medal. All matches will be conducted in the best-of-three (BO3) format and the loser bracket final and grand final will be played in a best-of-seven (BO7) format.

    The nation’s star-studded League of Legends team which is captained by Akshaj Shenoy (Kai), and comprises Samarth Arvind Trivedi (CrankO), Mihir Ranjan (Lotus), Sanindhya Malik (Deadcorp), Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Aditya Selvaraj (Krow) will begin its campaign on 27 September. As a result of dominating the recently held Central and South Asia seeding event and clinching top seed, the team has gained direct entry into the quarter-finals of the 19th Asian Games.

    The squad will face the winner of Group A comprising Japan, Palestine, and Vietnam in its tournament opener. The elimination stages will be played head-to-head in the BO3, single-elimination format. The continent’s 15 leading teams will be competing in League of Legends at the prestigious tournament.

    The country’s stellar DOTA 2 team led by Darshan Bata (A35), and comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Abhishek Yadav (Abhi-), Ketan Goyal (Evil-Ash), and Shubham Goli (Madness) has been drawn in Group A alongside Kyrgyzstan and Philippines. Both of their group matchups are scheduled to take place in the Best-of-One (BO1) single round robin format on 29 September.

    The group winner will take on Nepal in the elimination stages on September 30. All matches in the elimination stage will be contested in the head-to-head, BO3 single elimination format. There will be 14 notable DOTA 2 teams participating in the title.

    One of the country’s top sports and Esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as its official communication partner.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports will be making its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022 with a total of 476 athletes from 30 different countries competing for gold medals in seven different titles.

  • Asian Games 2022: India’s FIFA athletes depart for Hangzhou; Official draw for fixtures set to take place on 22 September

    Asian Games 2022: India’s FIFA athletes depart for Hangzhou; Official draw for fixtures set to take place on 22 September

    Mumbai: Poised to make their mark in one of the most prestigious multi-sport tournaments in the world, India’s FIFA stars S Charanjotingh and Karman Singh have departed for Hangzhou to compete in EA Sports FC Online at the upcoming Asian Games 2022 from 24 to 27 September.

    Having been featured as a demonstration event in 2018, Esports will be making its full-fledged debut as an official medal sport at the Asian Games 2022. The Esports event will be held in China Hangzhou Esports Centre from 24 September to 2 October, and the athletes will compete for gold medals in seven different titles.

    India, however, will be participating in four of the seven titles: DOTA 2, EA Sports FC Online, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. The official draw to determine the dates and opponents regarding the fixtures for all four titles will take place on 22 September.

    Expressing his feeling as the tournament approaches, Charanjot Singh said, “As the tournament draws nearer, it feels surreal that the dream of representing India at the Asian Games 2022 is finally becoming a reality. Both Karman and I have been training relentlessly to showcase our skills on this platform against the continent’s finest players. We are determined to make our country proud and bring home a historic medal.”

    The fixtures for EA Sports FC Online will be in the knockout format with the Grand Finals scheduled to be held on 27 September. A total of 34 athletes from 21 countries will battle it out for glory at the competition.

    “The Asian Games 2022 is a massive opportunity for Indian Esports to announce itself as a powerhouse on the global stage. I feel honored to be one of the first athletes carrying the nation’s flag at Esports’ maiden appearance as a medal sport at the tournament. We would like to thank ESFI for not just providing us with the opportunity to represent our country but also providing us with ample support including the best-in-class gaming gear to make sure we are ready to give our best in Hangzhou. We are ready to take on the tough competition and give our best to achieve success,” commented Karman Singh.

    Both athletes left their mark during the recently held seeding event for the Asian Games 2022, with Charanjot Singh securing the top seed in the South Asian region, while Karman Singh secured the fifth seed. The two athletes, who are renowned names in the global FIFA community, earned their places at the Asian Games 2022 by advancing to the finals of the National Esports Championships (NESC), organised by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI).

    “With the Asian Games 2022 just around the corner, we are excited to witness the performances of our talented athletes who have put in remarkable efforts to reach this stage. Charanjot and Karman have both performed brilliantly in the seeding event and we are confident that they will replicate those performances in the main event to ensure India bags not one but two medals in EA Sports FC Online. Everyone at ESFI wishes them the best of luck in their pursuit of glory,” said Esports Federation of India & vice president of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF) director Lokesh Suji.

    One of the country’s top sports & esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as their official communication partner.

    Following the commencement of EA Sports FC Online matches, the League of Legends fixtures will be held from 25 to 29 September, while the Street Fighter V: Champion Edition encounters are scheduled for 26 to 28 September. The DOTA 2 matchups are set to take place from 29 September to 2 October.

  • Team Top-G wins DOTA 2 NESC 2023

    Team Top-G wins DOTA 2 NESC 2023

    Mumbai: Displaying exceptional teamwork and stellar gameplay, Team Top-G prevailed in the National Esports Championships (NESC) 2023, organized by the Esports Federation of India (ESFI), and qualified for the regional qualifiers of the Global Esports Games (GEG) 2023. The team will now battle it out against Malaysia and Mongolia in the regionals to secure their berth in the global finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

    Under the leadership of Manav Kunte (mnz), the squad comprising Krish Gupta (Krish-), Khaja Hussain (Pinkman), Ketan Goyal (Evil-ash), Vishal Vernekar (Hbk) and substitute Darshan Bata (A35) toppled The Mob by 2-0 in the best-of-three finals. Team Top-G had also represented India in the Asian qualifiers of DOTA 2 for the 15th World Esports Championships earlier this year.

    Expressing his enthusiasm for the victory, Top-G team captain Manav Kunte said, “Winning the NESC 2023 for the second time this year is a surreal feeling. Securing our spot in the regional qualifiers for GEG23 is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and skill set of every team member. We want to express our gratitude to ESFI for providing the platform for us to represent India on the global stage and we are determined to make our nation proud.”

    The first game of the finals witnessed both teams going neck-to-neck with Top-G edging out their opponents by 51-32 to take the lead. The second game however was thoroughly lopsided and Top-G comfortably overpowered The Mob by 24-6 to be crowned champions. The squad’s prominent players Vishal and Ketan were also part of the historic DOTA 2 team that clinched the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in 2022.

    “We congratulate Team Top-G on their brilliant performance in the NESC 2023. By successfully qualifying for the regional qualifiers of two of the biggest Esports tournaments in the world, they have established themselves as the best DOTA 2 team in the country. We are confident that their remarkable talent will help the country ace the regional qualifiers and make their mark in Riyadh,” commented Esports Federation of India director & Asian Esports Federation (AESF) VP  Lokesh Suji.

    The Global Esports Games 2023 (GEG23) is scheduled to take place from  11 to 16 December and will feature a total of four major titles: DOTA 2, Street Fighter, eFootball 2023, and PUBG Mobile with all participants being above the minimum age of 18, to ensure a fair and competitive environment. India will be participating in three of the four titles in the Open category – DOTA 2, eFootball 2023, and Street Fighter 6.

    One of the country’s top sports and esports communication agencies, Artsmith-Concepts & Visions, will continue its support to the Esports Federation of India as their official communication partner.

    Following the conclusion of the national qualifiers for DOTA 2, the qualifiers for eFootball 2023 and Street Fighter 6 will kick off on 9 September.

    The NESC’23 will be played in a double-elimination format. The exciting action from the Championships will be streamed live on ESFI’s official YouTube and Facebook pages.

  • 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.

  • National Esports Championships 2021 to kickstart on 6 August

    National Esports Championships 2021 to kickstart on 6 August

    Mumbai: The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) is all set to roll out the 2021 edition of the National Esports Championships (NESC), scheduled for 6-22 August.

    Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the nationals will be held virtually with top athletes from across the country competing and showcasing their skills and strategies. Popular games DOTA2, Tekken7, PES 2020 will be part of the event alongside CS:GO, said the statement.

    The NESC 2021 will be played in a double-elimination format with the last date of registrations being 19 August (PES2020 & Tekken7), 5 August (DOTA2), and the registrations dates for CS:GO will be announced soon. The matches of popular esports titles PES 2020 and Tekken 7 will be played between 21-22 August, while the multiplayer online battle arena video game, DOTA2 is scheduled for 6-15 August.
    “For the Indian esports industry, this is our time in the sun. The increasing interest for esports in our country currently is encouraging us to push the envelope and give the athletes and the audience something new and exciting each time,” said the director of ESFI and VP of the Asian Esports Federation, Lokesh Suji. “We are extremely thrilled and excited to announce NESC 2021, it is a great opportunity for gamers to not only showcase their talent, strategies, and skills in competitive gaming but also make the country proud. While esports is now going to be a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games as well as few other Asian championship events and is expected to be included in Olympics in the near future, we are committed to develop, support and grow the esports ecosystem in India.”

    The winners of the NESC 2021 will be selected to represent India at the 13th Esports World Championship by IESF; these athletes will progress through the online regional qualifiers scheduled in September-October to the global finals which will take place in Eilat, Israel between 14-19 November. The air travel expenses and accommodation of the athletes traveling to Eilat will be covered, the organisation said.

    “As tournaments like these become bigger and grander, we are continuing to see a growing interest among the Indian youth to take up esports professionally,” said IESF secretary-general Boban Totovski. “We’ve got some of the world’s most recognised competitive games in the tournament that is being mastered by highly skilled, motivated, and talented virtual fighters. We can expect an edge-of-the-seat thriller in this season of NESC 2021. This is a very interesting time for esports in India and tournaments like this will fuel their ambition to become the powerhouse of esports.”

    With Artsmith – Concepts & Visions as the communication partner, the championships will be streamed live on ESFI’s official YouTube & Twitch channel and Facebook page.