It Does Not Make Financial Sense for Any Global Team to Enter the Indian Market - Nimish Raut

Abhimannu Das
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<div class="paragraphs"><p>Nimish Raut&nbsp;talked to AFK Gaming about the current state of the business side of esports in India.</p></div>

Nimish Raut talked to AFK Gaming about the current state of the business side of esports in India.

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AFK Gaming

In a live session with AFK Gaming, Nimish Raut, Global Head of Partnerships and Business Development (Consultant) at NODWIN Gaming discussed the future of esports in India, viewbotting in esports, and more. Raut believes that India needs to build its own identity to grow esports. One of the biggest challenges that the industry is facing currently, according to him, is that stakeholders do not focus enough on the players and teams, who serve as the backbone of the entire ecosystem.

Why global teams lack the incentive to invest in Indian esports

Raut talked about how making money in esports is very difficult if you are not a publisher. He said that the Indian esports ecosystem is too young and only really started taking off in 2019. But it was held back due to the global pandemic slowing things down in 2020, compounded by the PUBG Mobile ban in September. “Technically the Indian ecosystem is two and a half years old, and we are expecting too much out of it,” he said. “It is going to take a lot of good work from the likes of NODWIN Gaming, The Esports Club, Skyesports, AFK, 8Bit, Soul and other content creators and stakeholders”.

He went on to state that we all have a responsibility towards the Indian esports ecosystem. While the numbers, viewership, and downloads are there, a deep dive reveals that it does not make sense for stakeholders to invest in the industry as there is a lack of financial incentive. However, he feels that Indian esports has potential to make money but it cannot be limited to traditional forms of making money like media rights, sponsorship, partnerships, and merchandise sales.

These revenue sources are ultimately competing with traditional forms of entertainment, which makes it difficult for global businesses to invest in Indian esports.

"Right now, the math doesn't add up for the teams. It will add up very soon, it will all make sense very soon. But the onus will lie on multiple stakeholders and not just one," he added.


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