The mission of an octet: Interview

The mission of an octet

By Amarylisa Gonsalves

he esports scene in India is

Tbigger than ever before. The credit goes to many people behind the scenes, but the industry owes a huge citation to the pioneers who took the responsibility of making esports the next big thing in India, onto their own shoulders. One of them being ‘8bit Thug’ - you talk to anyone in the esports fraternity or an esports enthusiast, it’s impossible to come across anyone who hasn’t heard of him.

A pro gamer, an entrepreneur, a streamer, an influencer, an owner of two of the best teams, an inspiration to millions, a philanthropist, and a humble person, Animesh Agarwal aka 8bit thug is a visionary who aims at making esports the biggest in India. Here’s everything the esports star had to share with us.

You’ve been a professional esports player for a long time now. What has been your journey in the esports industry like?

I was a professional player for the initial first year of my career. I was the first person ever to represent India at the PUBG mobile tournament in Thailand as an Indian captain. It went well, but eventually I took a step back when I realised there are better players than me and I went ahead to form two of India’s most successful teams, that is SouL and 8bit. These are the biggest names when it comes to mobile gaming and 8bit is a team that has won many tournament titles. Recently we merged SouL and 8bit to form S8UL. We launched a gaming house that’s

worth a million dollars, something that has never been seen before India.

The journey has been going great. I have shifted more towards the entrepreneurial side of gaming and esports and I am trying to create more opportunities for people to join in.

Tell us about your journey from a player to team owner with 8bit. How did the idea of 8bit conceptualize?

8bit has been in existence for four years now, out of which the initial two years were casual social gaming. There was a game, where we used to have a clan called ‘8bit.’ The team had 50-60 people, where we socially interacted. But when I went to Thailand, I saw how big the esports ecosystem was. I had heard about how big esports is in America, in Europe and the opportunities available, but I never got to experience that firsthand.

Thailand changed my experience completely. When I saw the kind of facilities, the quantum at which esports is being practiced, I realized that there is a big void in India that needs to be filled in by someone and someone needs to step-up. I came back to India and I was one of the first people to start an esports company especially based on mobile gaming. That changed the esports scenario in India completely.

I would say, Thailand gave me the motivation to start a professional team and convert 8bit into a more professional organisation. The journey of 8bit has been great, we have added many trophies to our shelf over the last couple of years before we merged into SouL and formed S8UL. We have had excellent results. We are one of the very few companies in India who are actually making profit.

How does it feel representing India on an international level?

I can tell you how my boys prepare for it because the last time I played on an international level was in 2018 and things have changed quite a lot after

by predicting their moves.

You recently participated in MPLs charity stream. You were also a part of the #GamersStandWithIndia charity Stream. Share your experience. The stream by MPL was a great initiative. MPL stepping up with such a huge donation was itself something that enhanced the whole experience. I was playing with my colleagues from S8UL and from the community. It was great fun, the stream was full of banters, but ultimately the cause was to help the people affected by COVID.

We did that charity stream to donate through Give India and successfully raised `25,00000. Another team with sc0ut and other players donated `25,00000 from their prize winning and MPL added an amount of `50,00000.

For me it was more about the cause, we all came together and the sentiment that we stood up for our country was the best part about the stream.

Can you share some details about what you’ve done and how you’ve helped those affected?

I don’t really talk much about what they’ve done but just to give you an idea, I did collaborate with Hemkunt Foundation, wherein we donated close to 50 cylinders to Hemkunt and then I made personal donations of `1 Lakh each to around 3 different initiatives. Apart

from that I’m also donating twice my YouTube income for the month of May. So, I think this is what I’ve been trying to do. All the influencers have been very instrumental in amplifying the requirements whenever plasma was required or when

oxygen was needed. Initially, when the COVID wave hit India hard,.

What are your future plans?

My future plan is pretty simple. We want to make S8UL the biggest ever organization. I want to make an impact. When people talk about esports and gaming in India, people should remember there was a team called S8UL and there was a guy called 8bit Thug, who changed how people look at gaming in India. That’s the goal. For that we have big plans of course, expansion, going global with our teams, expanding to Europe. But let’s see, let’s hope for the best.

Any message for upcoming gamers and esports enthusiasts?

To every upcoming gaming and esports enthusiast, I would just like to say come and play, there is a lot of space in the field and a lot of scope. If you have the skill, don’t worry, you will get noticed but always keep a backup, study hard.

You don’t have to pursue gaming by giving up your education and troubling your parents. Take out free time, play in your free time and if you think it’s working for you very well, you will definitely get noticed.

Everyone started somewhere, so don’t fear starting.