Decoding Galaxy Racer's Expansion Into India

The influence of video games and gaming content has been pivotal in integrating esports into Indian culture and routine life. The response that is evoked from such content put out by influencers is indicative of the fact that the gaming industry is shaping itself into a bigger phenomenon in India. The love for gaming has created a demand for content on streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch and also on other social media sites. With mediums like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts taking off, the consumption of gaming content is on the rise. The enthusiasm the Indian community has shown while engaging with streamers and content creators in real-time has led to esports organizations understanding the potential of this industry.

Among the esports organizations that understand this new-age market is Galaxy Racer (GXR). Galaxy Racer is a Dubai-based esports organization that was founded in 2019 by Paul Roy. The organization delves into verticals including esports, gaming, and lifestyle content creation. According to a press release, GXR has a worldwide presence and has over 100 content creators amassing over 500 million followers and generating over 2.5 billion monthly views. As one of the biggest end-to-end talent incubators, the company has roped in top streamers from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal recently, and has managed to grow a follower count of ~30 million across multiple streaming and social platforms.

AFK Gaming had the opportunity to talk to Romeo Misao, Galaxy Racer’s Head of Marketing for India & South Asia, about GXR’s venture into India and the organization’s future plans.

Galaxy Racer’s journey so far

Galaxy Racer has a strong market presence across the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Europe. Over the years, GXR has ventured into other successful verticals, broadening its focus and offering a lot more to its stakeholders. Misao stated that GXR’s first area of success was building some of the world’s most successful esports teams, which are now represented as part of the organization’s own division in Nigma Galaxy, the esports division born after a merger with Team Nigma in late 2021. “Nigma Galaxy is the competitive esports arm of Galaxy Racer, while Galaxy Racer itself has a much larger area of operation. It’s how Nike differentiates itself from a Nike Air Jordan. The Air Jordan here is Nigma Galaxy and Nike is Galaxy Racer,” he said.

Galaxy Racer’s five key verticals at the moment include esports, Content Creators (GXR Creators), Content & Events Production (GXR Studios), Consumer Goods (GXR Limited), and GXR Records, a newly established record label. GXR made it evident that it was looking to diversify and move into the lifestyle segment in South Asia and India soon.

Misao stated that the organization was excited to create headway in the lifestyle space in India and said, “India’s appetite for lifestyle content is one of the highest in the world, accelerated further by affordable devices and economic data plans and a plethora of content options to choose from. We wish to capitalize on this demand and align our expertise to grow further.”

Galaxy Racer views gaming to be a type of lifestyle and it believes in roping in content creators from the branches of travel, fashion, education, and music. It believes that audiences would appreciate and relate to the confluence of these categories and hopes to produce unique content that appeals to a wider viewership.

Though GXR Records does not have a presence in India as of now, Misao said it is an initiative that aims to work with musical artists who understand what the digital audience of today is vibing with. “We encourage musical innovation across genres and let our artists lead the way while supporting them to truly experiment and create music that is fulfilling, both creatively and monetarily.”

Tapping into the potential of the Indian market

According to Romeo Misao, Galaxy Racer has been very patient with its expansion into India and South Asia. It started the journey by making a mark in the Indian esports scene by signing BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and PUBG (Player Unknowns Battlegrounds) mobile rosters.

GXR opted to expand into the Indian subcontinent by weighing and understanding the diverse culture of the country and that makes “the market unique and challenging at the same time.”

GXR catered to different demographics and consumption patterns when it expanded into India. “For our India strategy, we had to take into consideration the various languages spoken here, and the varying consumption patterns and trends across demographic and psychographic segments to truly understand the audience we hope to cater to,” said Misao.“The region has a young and vibrant gaming community, and we aim to build a larger, and more sustainable and formidable gaming ecosystem in India to engage the tremendous amount of talent in the country.”

As a result, GXR partnered with multiple talented and upcoming local creators and influencers who have a strong connection with the Indian audience, in terms of both native language and culture, hoping to create localized and relatable content for the Indian market.

Earlier in February 2022, GXR announced that it had signed multiple content creators from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh and that it would be hiring more talent in the upcoming months. In a release, CEO Paul Roy stated that India has been one of the biggest digital ecosystems of the world and it had grown during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It ranks among the top globally with respect to the number of users, engagement, and revenue potential. After successful forays across multiple markets worldwide, India and South Asia was the natural progression in our vision to grow our market presence, with the lion’s share of our next 500 million coming from here,” he added.

Some of the talent Galaxy Racer has signed from India include Ravichandra “Gaming Tamizhan” Vigneshwar, Monika “Gaming Girl” Dubey, Sarath “InstaGamer”, Hemant “X-Mania” Vyas, Arun “Run Gaming”, and Shomita “Hayley Sphere” who have a combined subscriber count of approximately 8 million.

Choosing the right talent and nurturing them

As an end-to-end talent incubator, Galaxy Racer works with an array of streamers and content creators to put out quality content. It provides creators with brand endorsement deals, streaming contracts, creator collaborations, digital rights management, monetization, online and offline event opportunities, social media management, and content programming.

Misao said Galaxy Racer believes in treating its content creators as business owners to help streamers grow their presence. He said, “Our approach to their content is methodical. We provide our creator's weekly content audits to discuss how to always improve on the content they produce. We identify new trends and other genres that may be of interest to them, and we help them curate this content for their audiences.”

Galaxy Racer has built up a history of roping in fresh talent and growing their brands alongside its own. Misao spoke about what GXR looks for in a creator or streamer. He elucidated that GXR fields talents whose ideologies are aligned with the organization's. “We always look for creators who have a strong roadmap of milestones for their future. With our hyper-growth model, we aim to align with our creators' goals and support them in making it a reality,” he added.

It is not just the streaming audience that Galaxy Racer is planning to capture. The company revealed that it has planned a series of upcoming esports events for the competitive audience. Misao said, “Tournaments are an integral part of developing the active Indian esports scene. At present, we have plans for both amateur and professional level esports events for titles like Valorant and BGMI, with more to follow.”

GXR also said that it has a lot of announcements and exclusive collaborations lined up when it comes to selling India-specific merchandise and Indian talents’ merchandise. All in all, the organization has promised esports and gaming fans in India that it would present them with a series of exciting shows and tournaments put together by creative minds.

Galaxy Racer’s interest and expansion into India are reflective of India’s position in the esports industry. Like any traditional sport, esports too has its own creators, owners, brand endorsement deals, franchises, and merchandise. All this put together contributes to the growth of the industry and the community.

Amidst the pandemic, India learned to engage online and esports saw a boom in the country. With the pandemic seeing a lull, the industry only hopes to grow multifold and strengthen its viewer base. Galaxy Racer is a trailblazer for understanding the potential of the Indian content creation and esports market. Having organizations like GXR establish its presence and plan these exclusive events for the country is a beacon of hope. More international organizations might understand the untapped opportunities in India and follow suit, allowing the country to grow and expand the industry.