Krafton announces first esports tournament for Battlegrounds Mobile India

Days after returning to the Indian market with Battlegrounds Mobile India, the tweaked avatar of PUBG Mobile, South Korean gaming firm Krafton has announced the first esports tournament for the title – Battlegrounds India Series 2021 (BGIS). 

Launching exclusively in the country, starting August 2, BGIS will see hundreds of teams competing across five different rounds over a period of three months. 

From the first round, as many as 1,024 teams will qualify, while from the second, which will have three sub-rounds, only 64 will proceed.  

The number of qualifying teams will continue to decrease in the run up to the final, where top 16 teams will play 20 matches.  

“The squad with the highest cumulative score at the end of 20 matches shall be declared as the winner of Battlegrounds India Series 2021,” Krafton said on the dedicated website setup for the tournament. 

The winner will get a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh, while first two runner ups will get Rs 25 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively.  

Overall, the gaming firm is offering a total of Rs 1 crore to the teams making it to the finals. 

The registrations for the tournament will open starting July 19, Krafton said, noting that any player who lives in the country and has an account which is Platinum or above is eligible to register and participate in the first round. 

“This marks the beginning of a series of new content, collaborations and esports tournaments Krafton will be introducing in the country,” the company added.  

Just a few days back, it had introduced a content update for BGMI, bringing Tesla vehicles and Gigafactory into the game, along with many other elements. 

The effort is a part of Krafton’s broader endeavor to support the gaming and esports ecosystem in India – a promise it made while announcing the plan to return to the market after last year’s PUBG ban.  

The company has also made significant investments in India-based gaming and content startups.