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Tag: online gaming

  • U Sports aims to launch Indian e-sports federation

    U Sports aims to launch Indian e-sports federation

    MUMBAI: With an aim to make India a serious player globally, U Sports founder Ronnie Screwvala and its co-founder and CEO Supratik Sen are discussing with the Ministry of State, Youth Affairs and Sports India to form the official e-sports federation of the country.

    Screwvala is likely to be the president of the association. It will be the governing body for all Indian e-sports events and interact with partner nations. The aim is to encourage, organise, educate and train e-sport athletes. He says, “We believe there is tremendous talent in India. By forming an official Federation, we want to provide e-sports athletes the ratified government support they need to compete at global or international levels and to also evolve a structured and fair e-sports competition. Now international markets like the US formally  distinguishing e-sports as an official sport and granting visas for professional e-sports players, and  universities announcing athletic scholarships to e-sports players, India is not far away from recognising this sport and its players as a career option.”

    This body will represent India and promote e-sports for 206 million gamers, 10 million serious gamers and 300 million e-sports fans across the world. The ultimate aim is to create bodies at state levels to get the ambition going at the grassroot level.

    Sen added, “This sport is a global phenomenon and India is not far behind. We have the talent, and the passion and with an official body, these athletes will only get encouraged to showcase their talent. This Federation will help widen the player base and allow people to see the bigger picture of the sport.”

    E-sports is officially announced as an exhibition sport in the 2018 Asian Games and is listed in the 2022 Asian Games in China.

    Also Read:

    U Sports launches India’s first ever Multi-Platform Multi-Game E-Sports Championship – U Cypher with MTV

    U Cypher begins new innings for e-sports in India

  • Amazon.com enters into the world of online gaming

    Amazon.com enters into the world of online gaming

    MUMBAI: E-commerce giant Amazon.com bought Twitch Interactive, a popular Internet video channel for broadcasting and watching, people play videogames, for about $970 million in cash.

     

    The move, announced by the two companies is the largest deal in Amazon’s 20-year history and will help the US e-commerce company vie with Apple and Google in the fast-growing world of online gaming, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of all mobile app sales.

     

    Talking about the acquisition, Amazon.com’s founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said, “Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month – from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3. And, amazingly, Twitch is only three years old.

     

    “Like Twitch, we obsess over customers and like to think differently, and we look forward to learning from them and helping them move even faster to build new services for the gaming community,” he added.

     

    Twitch is a multi-channel online platform for people who not only enjoy playing video games, but find it entertaining to watch others who might impart tricks and tips for excelling at their favorite games. In July, more than 55 million unique visitors viewed more than 15 billion minutes of content on Twitch produced by more than 1 million broadcasters, including individual gamers, pro players, publishers, developers, media outlets, conventions and stadium-filling e-sports organisations.

     

    “Amazon and Twitch optimise for our customers first and we are both believers in the future of gaming,” said Twitch CEO Emmett Shear. “Being part of Amazon will let us do even more for our community. We will be able to create tools and services faster than we could have independently. This change will mean great things for our community and will let us bring Twitch to even more people around the world.”

     

    Twitch will help Amazon accelerate a push into web video that is brought it into competition with Netflix and Google’s YouTube. Twitch seized on the popularity of games like League of Legends and Minecraft, developing tools to let players broadcast their game sessions to an audience of more than 55 million users and generating revenue from advertising and subscriptions.

     

    According to media reports, Google also held talks about potentially acquiring Twitch as early as May.

     

    The deal, expected to close in the second half of the year, is an unusual step for Amazon, which tends to build from within or make smaller acquisitions.

  • Reliance Games and Lakshya Digital launch Rage Warriors for iOS

     

    MUMBAI: Reliance Games, a leading international mobile game studio, has come up with a gritty fighting game ‘Rage Warriors’ for iOS devices. Developed independently by Singapore-based Lakshya Digital, ‘Rage Warriors’ is a jarring and fierce mobile fighting game that takes inspiration, both in graphics and story, from classic hardcore console games.

    The storyline is set in a future where Earth has been nearly obliterated by an unknown catastrophe and humanity hangs on the brink of extinction. The surviving population has been left scarred and mutated, driven mad by decades of war. The only thing these humanoids love are the fights, bloody battles that serve as society’s savage entertainment.

     

    “As game developers with a nine year history in the mobile business, we understand what it takes to thrive in today’s competitive landscape and are ready to share our knowledge and experience with developers all around the world,” said Reliance Entertainment Digital CEO Manish Agarwal. “We aim to publish the most high-quality and entertaining games and that is what Lakshya Digital has delivered. ‘Rage Warriors’ is full of gore, carnage and intense competition; fighting game fans are going to love it!”

    “We are excited and proud to bring ‘Rage Warriors’ to the market. We made ‘Rage Warriors’ with so many fantastic worlds, epic characters and with such intense combat, we wanted to give the player an incredible console-like gaming experience,” says Lakshya Digital co-founder and president Dib Chaudhuri. “Working with Reliance Games made all the difference. We can already tell they have the developer’s best interests at heart. Their history in games and unparalleled knowledge has helped us create a polished and unique mobile game and we couldn’t have done it without their assistance.”

  • MSN partners with Reveille and Be Jane for MSN Originals

    MUMBAI: MSN has announced a new initiative called MSN Originals, as part of its expanding content investments to fuel continued growth of MSN.

    MSN Originals is focused on partnering with the best and brightest creative minds in the media industry to bring the new generation of storytelling online.

     

    As part of the MSN Originals initiative, MSN also announced an original content partnerships with Hollywood production studio and distribution company Reveille, that has produced hits including NBC‘s The Office and The Biggest Loser, FX‘s 30 Days, MTV‘s Date My Mom, and with Be Jane Inc., a multimedia content producer and web community for women‘s home improvement.

     

    MSN Originals content will combine video, interactive community features and rich editorial to create unique experiences that will be deeply integrated throughout the MSN network.

    “MSN is a leader in creating massive audiences online and in helping marketers effectively reach those audiences. By partnering with the media industry to add original, interactive, exclusive content to our portfolio, we will drive even deeper engagement with our audience and open up significant new opportunities for advertisers,” said Microsoft Corp general manager of MSN.com John Nicol.

     

    Innovative partnerships to co-produce made-for-broadband content

     

    Under the terms of the Reveille agreement, MSN has struck an exclusive multiproject deal with Reveille to create and produce original online programming. MSN is creating a production fund to be used by Reveille to produce pilots and original branded entertainment programming designed specifically for the Internet. Reveille will use its skills honed in producing for televised media to craft great ideas; recruit the best writing, producing and performing talent; and deliver programming in entirely new ways online. The content will go beyond what is possible in traditional television today by incorporating video, enlisting audience participation, and offering both linear and nonlinear formats.

     

    Shows that are successful initially online can potentially be extended to other formats, including television and mobile.

     

    “The digital future has arrived, and in collaboration with MSN we will be creating new forms of content without boundaries. We believe in a multiplatform world where the best elements of an idea can be tailored to the attributes of the specific media, enabling the audience to have more enriched experiences and for advertisers to contextualise themselves in a more profound way,” said Reveille CEO Ben Silverman.

     

    MSN is also partnering with Be Jane to create an original online series of video and interactive editorial do-it-yourself home improvement content targeted at women. The series, featuring Heidi Baker and Eden Jarrin (aka The Janes), will empower viewers with do-it-yourself know-how, including projects, tips, tricks, trials, tribulations and real “Jane” stories from women across the country. More than just basic how-to, Be Jane brings fun, relatability and inspiration to empower people through topics such as “spicing up the bedroom” and “creating a backyard retreat.” The content will be deeply integrated into MSN Lifestyle, MSN Spaces and MSN Video.

     

    “Up until recently, there have been few resources for women to turn to for home improvement. We‘ve learned that by providing relatable information, creative inspiration and a community of ‘Janes,‘ we can empower them to take on tasks in their home they never thought possible. That‘s why Be Jane on MSN is a great pairing. By expanding our reach, we can instruct and connect with more viewers, giving women a home for home improvement,” said Be Jane CEO Eden Jarrin.

     

    Expanded opportunities for marketers, advertisers

     

    By partnering with the media industry to produce original content, MSN is creating rich new opportunities for advertisers to integrate into and around the content itself. In addition to traditional display and streaming video advertising opportunities, advertisers can take advantage of in-content product integration, as well as be deeply involved in the early stages of content creation and production. Reveille was one of the first production companies to fully fund a reality TV series, NBC‘s The Restaurant, by integrating advertisers into the TV content.

     

    “We‘re excited to team up with the media industry to drive new innovation in online advertising and branded content integration. Together we will push the boundaries of what interactive means for consumers and marketers by bringing together the best of Hollywood, Madison Avenue and Redmond,” said Microsoft senior director of the MSN Branded Entertainment and Experiences Team Gayle Troberman.