After the successful launch of Vi Games offering more than 1200 mobile games, multiplayer and competitive gaming on the Vi App, leading Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) today announced the expansion of its mobile gaming catalogue with Esports. Partnering with leading esports start-up Gamerji, Vi under the umbrella of Vi Games, has launched an Esports platform on the Vi App.
Vi Games along with Gamerji will host popular Esports games across various genres such as Battle Royale, Racing, Cricket, Action Role Playing, etc. With an aim to make Vi App the preferred destination for gaming enthusiasts, the platform will have popular esports titles like New State, Free Fire Call of Duty Mobile, World Cricket Championship 3, Asphalt 9, Clash Royale during launch and will add more popular titles in due course.
Over the last few years, India has become the hub for esports. As per FICCI-EY Media and Entertainment Report 2022, the esports players in India doubled from three lakh in 2020 to six lakh in 2021. The country’s esports industry is growing at a CAGR of 46% and is expected to reach INR 11 billion by 2025. The gaming segment is also expected to generate an economic value of around INR100 billion between now and FY2025.
Commenting on the launch, Avneesh Khosla, CMO, Vi said “Growing affordability of smartphones and faster data speeds have contributed to the immense popularity of mobile gaming in India. With 5G in India, the gaming industry is likely to grow manifold. Mobile gaming has been a major focus area of growth for Vi’s content strategy in the digital era. Adding esports to our gaming catalogue was a natural progression towards making Vi App as the preferred destination for all gaming enthusiasts. We are confident that our offering will strike the right chord with the gaming lovers, and particularly the youth.”
Making the service easy accessible for the gamers, Vi’s Esports offering will be available for Vi Users at no extra cost and the users can enjoy exciting prizes with their virtual coins.
Commenting on the association, Soham Thacker, Founder & CEO Gamerji said “Gamerji has always strived to give the best online tournament experience to aspiring gamers in India and help them showcase their skills. Our association with Vi will enable us to provide the experience to the larger gaming community via the Vi App and help establish esports as one of the primary competitive sports in the country.”
