Pro gaming firms move on from PUBG, BGMI after govt bans

The Indian government’s ban on popular eSports gaming titles on mobile phones has pushed the cash in India’s gaming industry towards a newer roster of games. The government banned South Korean publisher Krafton Inc’s PUBG Mobile and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) in September 2020 and July 2022, respectively. It also banned a competing title called Garena Freefire in February this year.

At the time they were banned, the three games were drawing lakhs in terms of in-app purchases for users, tournament sponsorships from brands and prize money in tournaments. Now, this money is going towards games like Valorant, Pokemon Unite, Call of Duty Mobile and more. Even some Indian titles, like World Cricket Championship (WCC) and Real Cricket are gaining interest, according to experts.

Before the ban in July, BGMI was the biggest gaming title in eSports in India with prize pools running as high as ₹1.5 crore for a single tournament.

“BGMI has had a significant impact on the pace of growth for eSports in India. The size of the game's ecosystem was massive enough for organizers to ditch every other title and still be profitable,” said Abhishek Joshi, co-founder, CriticalX Esports, which organizes tournaments in this space.

Joshi added that the industry has started feeling that they have stunted their growth by depending too much on a single game. “We as tournament organizers have started pivoting to the rest of the competitive titles and they're working out well for us,” added Joshi.

Last week, eSports organizer Galaxy Racer held a Valorant India Invitational tournament in Hyderabad with a prize pool of $100,000 (approx. ₹81 lakhs). Despite the fact that Valorant, which is built by American game publisher Riot Games, is a PC gaming title and India has largely been a mobile gaming market. 

Similarly, a tournament called Pokemon Unite India Open was announced this week, with a prize pool of ₹22 lakh. Pokemon Unite is made by The Pokemon Company, which in turn is owned by Japanese gaming firm Nintendo. The tournament is being organized by Chennai-based Skyesports, which is owned by Indian gaming firm Jetsynthesys.

Anurag Khurana, CEO of Penta Esports, said Pokemon Unite tournaments usually have a prize pool of ₹1-2 lakhs, and this is a big leap from that. Other titles raking in the cash include US-based Activision’s Call of Duty Mobile, a key reason for the company’s ongoing acquisition by Microsoft. 

“The gaming industry has also evolved and more gamers are playing on PC. Some of the Valorant tournaments in India are now rivaling the viewership that BGMI and PUBG used to get,” said Rushindra Sinha, CEO of Global Esports, which owns its own eSports teams.

He added that PUBG and BGMI were the gateway games for a lot of people in India, and gamers have started looking for other games that could fill that void.

Industry experts also said that having a multi-game strategy is good for the long-term growth of the industry. Penta Esports’ Khurana pointed out every game has a lifecycle and companies shouldn’t depend on a single title, irrespective of bans.

Penta itself is considering games like Japanese Capcom’s Street Fighter and some racing games for its next eSports tournaments. “Even some indigenous titles like WCC and Real Cricket are doing very well in mobile eSports," added Khurana. WCC and Real Cricket are made by Indian gaming firms Nextwave Multimedia and Nautilus, respectively. 

Animesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of gaming marketing consultancy 8bit Creatives, concurred with Khurana, adding that the industry has been exploring newer esports titles to develop and sustain revenue growth for Indian gaming. 

To be sure, the BGMI and PUBG Tournaments had hit tens of crores at their peak, and there’s still a big gulf against current titles. However, the same is starting to reduce. The Indian eSports industry is expected to see more tournaments featuring multiple games.

In April, Riot Games launched a model internationally where gaming teams would become similar to IPL franchises. It will allow teams to buy, loan and transfer gamers among teams, generating more revenue streams and partnership models. The model is expected to come to India soon, according to Sinha, whose Global Esports is planning to participate in such activities.

Rohit Jagasia, founder and CEO of Revenant Esports, pointed out that the inclusion of more franchises will in turn increase viewership of eSports as well, allowing more brands to advertise, and hence growing the cash in the industry.