Riot Games have announced the addition of a new member to their management team for Valorant in India. Ashish Gupta, former Assistant Vice President at Reliance Jio, will join Riot Games as their new Marketing Leader of Valorant in India.
Ashish Gupta is renowned for his contributions to the Indian gaming industry. In addition to being an influential figure in Reliance Jio, Gupta has the experience of leading their Games Ecosystem for the Games Stores for Jio VOLTE feature phones, smartphones, and a wide range of devices.
Earlier in February 2022, Riot Games announced an expansion project that would see the company extend its publishing reach to include India in its future enterprises.
With the addition of Ashish Gupta as the Marketing Leader for India, Riot appears to be on the right track to improving India's gaming ecosystem.
Riot Games appoints Ashish Gupta as Marketing Leader for Valorant India
Ashish Gupta is a reputed member of India's gaming community with over 18 years of expertise. Prior to joining Reliance Jio, Gupta led Gameloft as their Managing Director and Country Head for India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
Upon joining Riot Games, Ashish Gupta aims to work towards the growth of Valorant and other Riot titles in India. Sukamal Pegu, Head of Publishing for India and South Asia at Riot Games, was excited to announce the progress Riot has made on the matter.
In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esports at AMD Skyesports Souvenir LAN, he shared:
"For the longest time, you've been hearing rumors of us being more active as a publisher in the region with an office and a team. Join me in welcoming Ashish Gupta who has joined us from Jio."
Gupta enjoyed his first day at Riot Games on May 3, as he made an appearance at the ongoing AMD Skyesports Souvenir LAN Championship in Mumbai.
Although Riot's announcement of their expansion for APAC came a few months ago, they were on the lookout for a suitable Marketing Leader for India.
India's representation at the VCT 2022 Stage 1 APAC Challengers was the best progress the country has made in competitive Valorant since the game's inception. With the addition of Ashish Gupta to Riot's team in India, gaming enthusiasts can expect more opportunities for the nation in the coming years.
Pegu added:
"He's going to lead our marketing in this region. He is also going to lead a lot of our publishing initiatives in this region. All the complaints, all the bouquets, all the brickbats, please direct them to my man here. He is going to be our main person for India."
Pegu further added:
"It's a big, big journey for all of us. There's a lot of weight that he has to carry; the expectations of a lot of people. I'm very happy to be able to share some of those expectations with a colleague and a very good friend of mine as well."
India is the largest region within the Asia-Pacific and one of the most active gaming communities in South Asia. Gaming enthusiasts across the country can rejoice as Riot plans to involve more resources in the development of the region.