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PC games like Valorant have large esports communities across the globe. However, the accessibility of mobile gaming did indeed help form the bedrock of the Indian esports scene as it stands today.
While many believe that the hand-held platform is a crucial core to the industry’s ecosystem and its future, others feel that it’s one of the stepping stones that will allow the market to graduate to a more advanced platform, PC.
Deepak Gupta, ZOTAC’s Country Head, Southeast Asia, is one of the voices that feels that mobile esports will eventually pave the way for PC. In an exclusive interaction with Abhishek Mallick of Sportskeeda Esports, he opens up about ZOTAC’s future in the region and how free-to-play games like Valorant are helping the PC esports scene grow substantially over the years.
Here is an excerpt of the conversation.
Deepak Gupta on the future of ZOTAC in South Asia and the importance of Valorant in Indian PC esports
Q. As one of the stakeholders and industry leaders, what would you say about the growth that the Indian esports and videogames scene had over the last couple of years? Where do you see it in the next 5?
Deepak Gupta: India is at the center of the global esports growth along with markets like China. Due to government lockdown orders and social distancing, gaming turned out to be the most convenient way to spend time indoors.
This led to a massive increase in the hours people spent playing games, like Free Fire and Valorant. While mobile is definitely one of the larger driving factors in the industry, PC gaming and esports are starting to pick up thanks to the likes of Valorant.
Q. What, according to you, have been some of the biggest factors that led to the massive boom of viewership and community participation in esports in India? Talk to us about some of the roles that both mobile and PC titles, like Valorant, have played in helping the industry reach the next level.
Deepak Gupta: As gaming grows and gains more awareness and acceptance, it's only natural for esports viewership and participation to increase along with it. Mobile plays a crucial role in the ecosystem as it's the first introduction to gaming for most of today's gamers here.
From here we see them slowly graduate to a more advanced platform like PC, where free-to-play titles like Valorant help bring them into the fold of PC esports.
Q. When it comes to gaming platforms, mobile is by far the most popular device in a region like South Asia. But with the advent of Valorant, PC esports has indeed seen a significant rise in popularity. Do you see the bridge between these two platforms closing in the near future, or will mobile reign supreme?
Deepak Gupta: Absolutely. We believe PC esports is definitely going to continue to grow; however, India will most likely remain a mobile-first market due to the lower barrier of entry.
Q. What factors do you feel can help PC popularity grow in India in terms of both viewership and community participation?
Deepak Gupta: Market forces of supply and demand will always play a role, however, PC gaming is becoming more and more accessible. Great free-to-play games like Valorant play a significant role in this process as they serve as an important way for new gamers to get started.
Q. You have always been quite vocal on the importance of a region’s grassroots talents being integral to the development of the esports scene. Talk to us about some of the steps ZOTAC has taken over the years that have helped struggling talent come to the limelight.
Deepak Gupta: ZOTAC has always supported grassroots initiatives through offline events, esports partnerships, and even tournament sponsorships. We work closely with our partners to help ensure we're investing in and supporting the right initiatives, and this edition of the ZOTAC CUP is a big step from our side to help ensure teams get important international exposure as well.
Q. Tell us about some of the vision and expectations that went into the making of the ZOTAC Cup. What were some of the highs and lows that the franchise faced over its 15 years of history?
Deepak Gupta: ZOTAC Cup is a big part of our vision to help enable and connect with gaming communities across the globe. The aim is to provide opportunities for different games and their fans all over the world with multiple amateur-level tournaments. While ZOTAC Cup is massive in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, this is the first time we're hosting something of this scale in South Asia.
Q. The upcoming $15,000 Valorant ZOTAC Cup in partnership with The Esports Club marks a big step for the South Asian teams to go up against some of the best that the SEA region has to offer. Tell us about some of the expectations behind this event and the opportunities that it looks to bring for South Asia moving forward.
Deepak Gupta: We believe for South Asia esports to truly grow, there needs to be a lot of exposure and opportunity to play outside of South Asia. The Esports Club ZOTAC Cup is providing just that opportunity, by allowing winners of Valorant ZOTAC Cup South Asia to go up against the winners of the Southeast Asia Open in the main event.
Q. What are ZOTAC‘s plans for South Asia in the next couple of years? What can the PC gaming community look forward to?
Deepak Gupta: As the market leader in GPU's we will continue to consolidate our position and also give back to the community through esports opportunities and other exciting campaigns. ZOTAC believes being at the forefront of innovation is the key to sustainability.
Technology and discovery are key agents driving our world forward. We continue to push engineering limits in expanding upon key technologies beyond what they can do, and ask how it can apply to our lives, how it can affect us, and how we can make it better.
