ESPORTS

INDIAN GAMING LEAGUE:

SHAKING UP THE INDIAN ESPORTS ARENA

WORDS BY MRINAL GUJARE

Indian Gaming League is one of the premier esports platforms in India. The esports industry has seen a steady rise and has been spreading its wings in the last few years. The increasing interest in esports among mobile gamers is catapulting esports to the forefront of online gaming in India. Gutshot got in touch with Yash Pariani, CEO, Indian Gaming League (IGL) to shed light on the esports market.

What is the vision of Indian Gaming League (IGL)?

IGL aims to create a career path for gamers across the nation. IGL aims to do this by hosting quality tournaments that will help identify the best gamers while also

giving opportunities to new gamers. The vision behind IGL was to create a platform where gamers can gain recognition and create a career in esports. Having seen the lack of infrastructure in India for esports, I decided to create a platform where we could ultimately seek out and find India’s best players while also giving an opportunity to newcomers to make a name for themselves. IGL has an edge in being one of the first to make its move in India. We’re currently hosting over 300 tournaments online every month.

What inspired you to start your company?

A few years ago I went to the US and saw what esports had become... it blew my mind. In India, gaming is still looked at as a waste of time, whereas the best gamers in the US are earning millions of dollars and have a massive fan following. This made me want to create and find the next esports star in India, which is home to over a 100 million gamers.

What gives IGL an edge over others?

IGL has been one of the primary entrants into the industry, at a time when many were still learning what esports is. IGL has cemented its position as a quality tournament platform.

Who are your rivals in the esports market?

There are a lot of top esports gaming companies already ruling the market like Nazara, Gaming Monk and Nodwin Gaming. Moreover, there are plenty of startups in esports gaming, like Gamerji, which are trying to make their mark.

How successful has IGL been in terms of getting new players on board? Could you share some statistics?

The past year has been full of ups and downs for IGL in terms of users. In the initial period of the lockdown we witnessed a huge surge across all our titles especially with Call Of Duty Mobile and PUBG. With the trending Ludo King we experienced over 400% growth in new users. But with the ban implemented on PUBG Mobile, we experienced a 40% drop.

How has the ban on PUBG impacted the overall esports industry and your platform particularly?

PUBG Mobile was India’s most popular esport in terms of users or viewers. The ban was a huge blow to the Indian gaming industry and we too experienced the burns with nearly a 40% drop in terms of daily users. PUBG had 55 million daily active users at its peak in India. But alter the ban, we noticed a growth in other similar battle royale games like Free Fire or Call of Duty Mobile. After the initial drop in the daily users, the numbers skyrocketed in the last two months with a huge spike in popularity for Free Fire.

Now that PUBG Mobile India is looking at a relaunch, what strategies should esports operators adapt to compete?

Esports operators need to be prepared for the relaunch and provide the players with modern facilities so they can compete at the international level. As organizers, it’s our responsibility to make sure that we provide enough competitions and incentives for the players, so the game regains its position.