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The Esports Club is one of the most prominent organizations in the country. From organizing Valorant and Rainbow Six Siege tournaments to hosting events and experiences with Comic-Con India, it has left its mark across India.
The Bangalore-based organization recently got funded for $3 million. The target is to expand beyond the country into the Middle East and South East Asia, as well as continue to cater to the Indian audience and bring esports and different experiences at events.
The Esports Club is also a frequent collaborator with Comic-Con India, and hosted an experience zone, The Arena, at last year's events in Bengaluru and Delhi. The special offering is all set to return to the upcoming Mumbai Comic-Con, which is set for February 11-12, 2023.
In an exclusive discussion with Sportskeeda Gaming's Suryadeepto Sengupta, The Esports Club Founder Mr. Vamsi Krishna opened up about the future of the organization.
Note: This copy has been lightly edited for better readability.
'Publishers Ubisoft, Riot Games, multiple tournaments, and more': Mr. Vamsi Krishna on The Arena at Comic-Con Mumbai
Mr. Vamsi Krishna, the founder of The Esports Club, talked about the future of the organization, the Indian esports community, expanding to new regions, and The Arena at Comic-Con India.
Q1. The Indian fandom recently witnessed two massive events back-to-back, Comic-Con Bangalore and Delhi. What was your experience in both events and how do you feel they reflect the Indian audience?
Vamsi Krishna: The Arena at Bengaluru Comic-Con & Delhi Comic-Con was a huge success. We’ve successfully helped create an unparalleled platform for gamers and our brand partners in India with these events and collaborations, and are already planning huge announcements for 2023!
This is a big moment for the industry as gaming events always have a very limited audience at offline events. With The Arena in partnership with Comic-Con India, we’re successfully breaking that threshold and creating the largest offline consumer gaming event in the region and it’s only going to grow from here. This was just year one and we’ve seen nearly 100K attendees across two events.
Q2. The Esports Club organized The Arena at Comic-Con Bangalore and Comic-Con Delhi. How was the response and what was your experience regarding The Arena?
Vamsi Krishna: The response has been overwhelmingly positive so far for our fans, partners, and participants. We’re always learning, improving, and adding more and more exciting elements with each event.
These include new esports opportunities, exciting interactive elements, and more things for all sorts of gamers to enjoy. Our goal is to create the best possible gaming experience so that both fans and partners get the best possible value from attending our events.
Q3. With Mumbai Comic-Con coming up shortly, what are some things fans can expect from The Arena?
Vamsi Krishna: We’ve got a lot of new things lined up with the upcoming event. In addition to our brand exhibitors like Lenovo & Intel, we also have publishers like Ubisoft and Riot Games who have a large presence at the event showcasing their latest content.
Additionally, we will have multiple new community tournaments at the event, including a two-day Valorant tournament, along with daily ones for the likes of Brawlhalla, Mortal Kombat 11, FIFA 23, and CS:GO.
Q4. Many well-known Indian streamers and professional esports athletes attended The Arena. How did the fans turn up and what are your thoughts regarding the meet-and-greets?
Vamsi Krishna: The Arena serves as a great opportunity for gamers to meet their favorite players and content creators. It provides such a massive space for gamers to gather, something that has traditionally proved to be a bit of a challenge for organizers.
Q5. Anything you’d like to share regarding the future of The Arena and Comic-Con India? Which cities do you wish to bring the event to in the future?
Vamsi Krishna: We will close the current season with The Arena at Mumbai Comic-Con, but are already planning for the 2023-24 season. We’re looking at five events, so there are even more opportunities for gamers across the country to attend the biggest gaming show without having to travel too much.
Q6. While Valorant is without a doubt the most popular esports title in the country, what are your thoughts regarding the playerbase surrounding other games like Rainbow Six Siege, Dota 2, League of Legends, FIFA, Tekken, and others with a significant international community?
Vamsi Krishna: We’ve always believed in spreading out our investments across multiple titles because India has the playerbase for them to grow and thrive.
We’ve seen the potential with publishers like Ubisoft and EA investing in regional esports activities, so it’s heading in the right direction. 2023 is going to be an important year for Indian esports, with a lot of opportunities for expansion for both PC and mobile titles.
Q7. Congratulations on recently raising funding of $3 million for The Esports Club. With this funding in mind, how does the future look for TEC and what are some of the key aspects you are looking forward to investing in?
Vamsi Krishna: Thank you so much. It’s been quite the journey. With the investment we’re of course looking to strengthen our position and operations in India, but also leverage our expertise and resources to expand our presence within the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
We’ve already been at the forefront of organizing international events for the likes of Valorant and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, where top teams from South Asia get an opportunity to compete against international teams for increased exposure. Our aim is to continue providing these invaluable opportunities and then look at an expansion into domestic events within those regions as well.
Q8. Over the last couple of years, mobile has become one of the dominant esports platforms in India. As such, how do you feel the ban of two of the flagship mobile esports titles has affected the community?
On the topic of mobile esports, what are your thoughts on Pokemon Unite as an esports title and its offering of an alternative MOBA genre as compared to the current battle royale craze?
Vamsi Krishna: I think Pokémon Unite is an interesting opportunity for South Asia given the widespread reach of the IP and the easy-to-pick nature of the game. Given the publisher’s keen interest in the region, it’s something we’re keeping our eyes on. We’re going to continue investing in both PC and mobile esports this year and experiment with newer titles.
Q9. The Esports Club has been a pioneer of the Indian esports community, playing a significant role in the development from the grassroots to the professional level. What are the future plans for developing the esports community, both nationally and internationally?
Vamsi Krishna: Our key focus will be to continue to create high-impact events and IP’s that bring value to both players and viewers. Our goal is to help create a sustainable esports ecosystem across multiple titles for both amateur and pro players.
Our immediate focus is going to be the rollout of our tournament platform, along with multiple esports opportunities across different titles on both PC and mobile. This will of course tie in with our ever-expanding portfolio of offline events that will include The Arena with Comic-Con India, our standalone TEC Arena events, and a whole new category of events that will be more frequent in nature.
