S8UL Esports co-owner Animesh “Thug” Agarwal recently spoke about the conversation that compelled him to stop competing and start building an esports organization. Thug participated in the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge - Asia Finals in Thailand in 2018. During the tournament, he had a short conversation with the CEO and Head of Localization of Krafton, the developers of PUBG Mobile. This conversation inspired Thug to start S8UL Esports.
Thug expressed that his goal is to expand the team internationally and establish a headquarters in London or Los Angeles. Thug believes that S8UL Esports is the undisputed champion in India and plans to continue growing the team in the coming years.
Thugs express why he left pro gaming and started an esports organization
Thug represented India at the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge - Asia Finals with 8bit in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand, in 2018. 8bit was one of the only two teams representing India at this stage. In this tournament, PUBG Mobile officials were also present, including Krafton’s erstwhile CEO Brendan Greene and Head of Localization Jay Kim. Thug revealed that this tournament and his meeting with the officials at the venue played a crucial role in shaping his esports journey.
During the vlog, Snax asked Thug if he expected to reach such heights with S8UL Esports. In response, Thug revealed that he was one of the few people who got a chance to meet Brendan Greene and Jay Kim at the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge - Asia Finals. “Kim knew that India was a new region. I was very surprised (by the tournament) and asked him multiple questions with excitement. He told me that it was nothing, and I can’t imagine how big the gaming and esports industry is and its potential. He told me that Krafton needed someone in India that is willing to take a chance and go big, and that hit me,” Thug added. “When I was returning to India, I decided on the flight itself. I even told my teammates that it would be my last tournament as a player,” he said.
By the end of 2018, PUBG Mobile started to gain much popularity. Popular YouTuber and co-owner of S8UL Esports Naman “MortaL” Mathur was one of the fastest-growing YouTubers then. PUBG Mobile streamers, like Rahul “Nova” Dhankhar, MortaL, and Tanmay “Sc0utOP” Singh, started to stream PUBG Mobile regularly on their YouTube channels. This drew a massive audience towards PUBG Mobile as well as mobile gaming content creation.
“I have been following gaming since 2015; I followed Entity Gaming, Global Esports, and Signify. I always noticed that they were playing international tournaments but weren’t getting recognition in India,” Thug said. He revealed that when he returned to India after the tournament, he saw a lot of players streaming and creating content around PUBG Mobile, and with it, he realized that mobile gaming would be a big thing in India. “I knew that mobile gaming was blowing up, and I realized that no one would take a step because no one has the knowledge. As I was following gaming for the past three years, I used to play only mobile games, so I felt that I needed to keep my brain and intent – intent to make it big . So I thought if not me, then who?”
Thug shares his vision for S8UL Esports
Thug also revealed his vision for S8UL Esports by stating, “I think it is a sort of dream come true – the dream is not yet achieved,” said Thug. “My dream won’t be fulfilled until we have an international lineup. My dream is to go global with maybe a London (England) or Los Angeles (the United States of America) headquarters from where we operate, at some point in my life,” he added.
Thug believes that his esports team, S8UL Esports, is the undisputed champion in India and that they achieved this status in 2022.
2022 was possibly the best year for S8UL Esports so far. The organization’s Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) roster won the Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series earlier this year. Its Pokemon Unite roster won the AAA Esports Series Pokemon Unite 2022. Furthermore, its New State Mobile roster won the first-ever New State Mobile LAN event, The Esports Club New State Open. Most importantly, S8UL Esports won the prestigious ‘Content Group of the Year’ award at The Esports Awards 2022.
