Only Valorant has come close to competing with CS: GO, says Mohit Israney, MD and Co-Founder of Global Esports

Q. Apart from being the MD and Co-Founder of Global Esports, what other active roles do you play in the organization?

Mohit Israney: Apart from running the business aspects with Rushi, my primary focus is working on all the content that goes out of Global Esports. Being a filmmaker, I wish to incorporate a lot of learnings into the esports ecosystem, and with gaming now becoming a form of entertainment, I feel I am right in the center of video games and movies. It’s incredible exploring and innovating every day.

Working closely with brands and figuring sponsorships is something that I enjoy doing since it was one of the major things I did in the advertising world. I am actively involved in all decision making, whether on the esports and player side of things or the content front. Rushi and I work as a team, playing the good and bad cop whenever and wherever needed.

Global Esports is a startup, and as with every startup, you have to wear multiple hats at all times. So although my role and title might be that of an MD, it changes throughout our journey.

Q. Valorant, for now, has been growing exponentially in India. The esports scene of the game has successfully seen many tournaments in the past couple of months, and the prize pool seems to be going up. How far do you see Valorant going in the Indian esports ecosystem?

Mohit Israney: I feel the next biggest thing after PUBG Mobile is going to be Valorant. A lot of professional players have already switched to Valorant from games like CS: GO, R6, Overwatch, Fortnite, and PUBG Mobile, and this is just the beginning.

In the upcoming year, we will see a lot of action, especially in the Indian Valorant scene. Riot Games has managed to hit the right balance in the game, where the mechanics and utilities are similar to other titles like Overwatch and Counter-Strike. This makes it easier for people to watch and understand them, not just as spectators sports, but also as esports titles. And now, with the Mumbai servers out, the game is only going to go uphill.

Q. The Global Esports Valorant team finally got its first tournament win in Phase 2 of the Skyesports Championship Series 2.0. What was the atmosphere like in the room after the win? As Team Tamilas pushed it to five maps, tension must have been running high among the players.

Mohit Israney: First of all, I would like to thank Skyesports for hosting an amazing tournament. Talking about the atmosphere, I would give huge props to HellrangeR, since, being the captain, it’s hard to play and take care of the other four players’ tempo and confidence.

Tensions weren’t that much, but yes, Team Tamilas gave us a good fight. A big shoutout to them for putting up an excellent performance, and congratulations on winning the TEC Series 3.

Q. After HellfightR’s departure to Velocity Gaming, your Valorant squad probably had to rebuild its team synergy and develop new strategies that gelled with the new line-up. How hard was it to get the players back on the same page again?

Mohit Israney: It was a bit challenging for the entire team, but we are working our way towards building a promising roster that can compete internationally. For this, we have tried a couple of players, but it hasn’t been easy since HellfightR played a major role in the team, that of a ‘Lurker-Cypher.’

And we all know that a good Cypher in the team plays a significant role since it’s all about getting information to the team.

Q. Talk to us about the new recruit Lightningfast. What role does he play in the squad, and how well has he adapted to his teammates?

Mohit Israney: Lightingfast will be filling in the role of Lurker in the team in specific maps, but mostly, he will be playing Cypher. It wasn’t that hard since he played CS: GO for our roster for the past six-odd months.

I think he’s got a lot of raw aiming, just like Deathmaker, but he needs guidance and a little pushing. I believe we will be able to provide him that through our expertise.

Q. Riot’s other IP, Wild Rift, is almost on the horizon, with its Indian open beta launch. How well do you feel Wild Rift is going to fare in the Indian esports ecosystem?

Mohit Israney: It’s tricky. While I feel like the game will blow up, I’m still unsure about its success in India. MOBA games are not easy to learn, and League of Legends: Wild Rift is exceptionally complex in the sense that there are over 40 champs now, and they’ve all got different skill sets.

Then again, we’re all hopeful that the game will succeed in India simply because of Riot. Its success with Valorant in India and everything it’s known to do for the League of Legends community worldwide makes me feel hopeful about Wild Rift’s future in the country.

Q. Can we expect a Wild Rift roster from Global Esports once the game is up and running?

Mohit Israney: Well, you have to wait and watch! What I can tell you is that Global Esports has ensured that we’re always at the forefront, whether it’s with a new game or setting up a dominating roster in an existing title. We make sure our presence is felt one way or another, so you’ll just have to wait and watch to see what happens with this one!