Indian competitive gaming is experiencing a wave of euphoria like never before. Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or using a BSNL connection lulz) you’ve been on the internet long enough to know about the multiple ‘Rs. 100 crore investment’ announcements that have been doing the rounds.
Here are 8 tournaments that we expect will steal the local eSports limelight in 2017.
8. The Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup – Season 4
Expected Dates : Mid September
Expected Location : Countrywide LAN qualifiers with a LAN finale in Mumbai
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2 and CS GO
Previous Prize Pool : INR 5,00,000 / USD 7,450
The TE Gaming Cup is one of Mumbai’s most prestigious Dota2 tournaments that has been successfully run for 3 years now. The finale usually takes place, dab smack in the middle of one of Mumbai’s busiest shopping malls. Fans and attendees can expect a dedicated spectator area, plenty of contests / giveaways and a full-fledged live production of the on-going matches.
Details HERE
7. Zowie Extremesland CS:GO Event – Season 2
Expected Location : Online qualifiers, LAN qualifiers in India, main event in Shanghai – China.
Expected Game Titles : CS GO
Previous Prize Pool : India Qualifier winners received a paid trip to the main event. Main event prize pool was USD 100,000 / INR 67,00,000.
The Zowie Extremesland CS GO tournament is a chance for Indian Counter Strike teams to test their mettle against Asia’s best. It’s one of those rare events that guarantees the victors of the India qualifier a trip abroad to compete at the main event. Team Invictus represented India last year however they were decimated at the main event courtesy All Gamers and MVP Project.
Details HERE
6. The ROG Masters – Season 2
Expected Dates : November
Expected Location : Online qualifiers, LAN qualifiers in India, main event in Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia.
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2 and CS GO
Previous Prize Pool : Regional qualifier winners received a paid trip to the main event plus sponsored goodies. Main event prize pool :
Dota 2 – USD 150,000 / INR 1,00,06,000.
CS GO – USD 50,000 / INR 33,54,000.
Unlike Zowie’s Extremesland Event, the ROG Masters local qualifiers did not promise a guaranteed international trip for the main event. Instead, qualifier winners were placed into the quarter finals of the rest of Asia bracket. The tournament seems to favour Dota 2 over CS GO, possibly owing to the game’s popularity in the South East Asian region.
Details HERE
5. Indian eSports Championship (IeSC) – Season 2
Expected Dates : September through November
Expected Location : Online qualifiers, main event in Mumbai.
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2, CS GO and Piercing Blow
Previous Prize Pool : INR 20,00,000 / USD 29,800
The Indian eSports Championship was by far the most prestigious competitive gaming event that the city of Mumbai witnessed in 2016. In addition to a humongous prize pool and action packed online qualifiers, the main event played host to a variety of music and pop culture attractions such as a flash mob, popular DJs such as lost stories and more. IeSC is the closest thing to Dreamhack that India currently has and we’ve been hearing good things about what’s in store for their second season. P.S : IeSC was also the only event with a dedicated, pseudo sound proof both for the commentators!
Details HERE
4. The Dew Arena – Season 2
Expected Dates : July through September
Expected Location : Online qualifiers, LAN group stages, LAN Main Event at the Kingdom of Dreams in Gurugram, New Delhi.
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2, CS GO, Mortal Kombat, Forza Motorsport, Kung Fu Combat,
Previous Prize Pool : INR 10,00,000 / USD 14,900
Mountain Dew was the only non endemic sponsor that jumped aboard the esports bandwagon in 2016. The Dew Arena was indeed a glamorous affair at a location that would put all others to shame. The tournament featured India’s television techie - Rajiv Makhni as a special guest while simultaneously playing host to Hector Rosario of Flipside Tactics. The months leading up to the main event were dotted with online qualifiers and on-ground activations featuring a gaming truck that toured 50 cities. The captains of the winning teams were set to be featured on the Mountain Dew Game Fuel bottles – a reward that contributes toward the mission of removing the stigma attached with choosing esports as a career choice.
Details HERE
3. ESL India Premiership – Second Edition
Expected Dates : May through December
Expected Location : Online qualifiers, LAN events in Bangalore, Delhi and more
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2, CS GO, Rocket League, Clash Royale, Just Dance
Previous Prize Pool : INR 42,00,000 / USD 62,640
It goes without saying that the first edition of the ESL India Premiership stole the spotlight in 2016. Eight months of non-stop esports action with LAN events in Pune and Bangalore all culminated into one mega event at Comic Con Delhi. Gargantuan prize pools, humongous crowds, world class production value and top quality matches have made the ESL India Premiership the gold standard in Indian gaming tournaments. Rumour has it that the second edition will undergo format changes and it remains to be seen if the familiar ‘Starter Cups’, ‘Challenger Cups’ and ‘The Masters’ will continue to exist.
Details HERE
2. Nazara Games’ eSports League
Expected Dates : Unkown
Expected Location : Open online qualifiers. Additional details unkown.
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2, CS GO and more to be announced
Previous Prize Pool : Not Applicable
Nazara is a leading mobile games publisher that claims to reach out to more than 2 billion consumers across emerging markets in the world. The company has recently announced its intention to invest USD 20 million (approx. INR 136 Crore) to develop the Indian eSports ecosystem over a period of 5 years. The league will have two seasons per year and will feature 6 teams that will be selected through a series of open online qualifiers.
Details HERE
1. Ucypher’s Indian eSports League
Expected Dates : Unknown
Expected Location : Unknown.
Expected Game Titles : Dota 2, CS GO, Console games and mobile games (TBA)
Previous Prize Pool : Not Applicable
Founder and CEO of UTV Group, Ronnie Screwvala has hinted at plans to invest in the Indian eSports ecosystem. The league has been christened ‘UCypher’ and is being handled by the parent company i.e. ‘Usports’. The reported budget for the project is between INR 80 and 100 Crore, which translates to approximately USD 14.9 Million. There’s talk about the league being broadcast on Indian television – a feat that hasn’t been witnessed since the downfall of an Indian eSports TV show titled ‘Games Bond’.
Details HERE