“The fact that Battlegrounds Mobile India is specifically created for Indian players, will herald a new and exciting phase for the nation's esports scene”: Akshat Rathee co-founder at NODWIN Gaming 

The Battlegrounds Mobile India Android release has already started introducing significant changes to the nation’s mobile esports scene.

While many debated whether Krafton’s latest title would be able to create a domestic market of its own, others celebrated the unique features of the game that were specifically added for Indian players.

NODWIN Gaming co-founder, Akshat Rathee, has been one of many who finds tremendous potential in Battlegrounds Mobile India. And in an exclusive interview with Abhishek Mallick of Sportskeeda Esports, he opens up about his expectations of Krafton’s latest title, and what the community can expect from the game in the coming months.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

NODWIN Gaming's Akshat Rathee excited about Battlegrounds Mobile India's unbridled potential

Q. Sir, what were your expectations with Battlegrounds Mobile India? Now that the game is here, what are some of your thoughts on it and how much of your expectations would you say were met?

Akshat Rathee: The esports fraternity is super excited about Battlegrounds Mobile India, one of the most anticipated games so far. The fact that it is specifically created for Indian players will herald a new and exciting phase in Indian esports. It has tremendous potential to showcase India as a globally competitive esports authority.

Talking about expectations being met, the only thing I wanted with the launch was a stronger reception and it was indeed a celebration. Apart from that, we’ll have to wait for the initial tournaments to conclude before commenting on metrics that matter to us.

With the esports roadmap now revealed, I’m pretty confident about the expected participation and viewership, which is going to be mindblowing anyways.

Q. With India getting its very own version of the game, there is a greater emphasis on a self-sustaining, domestic market and how Battlegrounds Mobile India will go about creating it. What are some of your thoughts in this regard, and what role would NODWIN Gaming look to play in creating this ecosystem for Battlegrounds Mobile India?

Akshat Rathee: India has great potential in terms of developing gaming content that can place it among the top 5 content developers in the world in the next few years. India-specific BGMI will facilitate that to an extent and help create a whole new thriving domestic esports ecosystem.

Battlegrounds Mobile India is a huge step in the right direction.

We are more than excited to jump onto the hardcore esports side of BGMI once the opportunity comes our way. We just took note of how the refreshed audience is perceiving the ecosystem after a long break and I feel that we can do a lot more this time. Our focus is on bringing value to the game and the community.

Q. It’s no news that the PUBG Mobile ban created a significant boom for Indian PC esports, especially Valorant. Now that Battlegrounds Mobile India is here, will there be a significant shift in focus away from the title, from both the community and the tournament hosts?

Akshat Rathee: Mobile and PC gamers are not always separate sets. You must look at things from a price-evolution perspective. Folks who are buying mid-to-top-end smartphones today are likely to buy their first gaming PCs and laptops in a few years.

Having said that, Valorant’s ecosystem in South Asia provided a fantastic opportunity for the entire sector to rise to popularity.

The most recent VCC Qualifier #1 gathered a good 380+ team entries and is expecting more in Qualifier #2. The audience will definitely overlap and will somewhat affect viewership if tournaments from both games clash.

However, Valorant and BGMI are doing great otherwise. VCC India Qualifier 1 has just hit 30k+ peak CCU, and Battlegrounds Mobile India already has a mammoth fanbase. To sum it up, we are expecting to see the focus shift only during simultaneous events for the two titles.

Q. What are NODWIN Gaming’s plans for Battlegrounds Mobile India? Can fans expect something special from the organization in the coming months?

Akshat Rathee: Can’t give out solid information as of now. The roadmap looks appealing and we’ll surely come up with something big.