Asia

Meet India’s Esports Athletes who are winning Laurels for the country

Published

4 years ago

February 8, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Gone are the days when youngsters were told off by their folks for wasting hours e-gaming before a console, PC or mobile. Today, with increasing smartphone penetration and digitization across India, the tables have turned and esports has become a much vide-for profession for both the urban and rural youth. And why not? Because they are not only earning money and fame but also winning laurels for India.
Esports Federation of India has in a way, been partly responsible for the shift in how the Indian youth perceives esports as a profession. The federation pioneered the competitive esports gaming format in India by organising national tournaments such as Nations Cup, National Esports Championship (NESC) and as recently ESFI Ranking Scrims etc. These large-scale platforms have given gamers and streamers an opportunity to showcase their skills and compete domestically and create a name for themselves nationally as well as internationally making a mark while ESFI athletes have been competing in South Asia & upcoming World Championships.
Nothing beats the experience of the Indian tri-colour going up during any medal ceremony. Here are India’s top four esports heroes that are setting the bar high and aspiring many more youngsters to take up esports professionally:

Tirth Mehta (Bronze medal winner in Asian Games 2018)
Esports Title – Hearthstone

Tirth Mehta, a 26-year-old lad from the sleepy town of Bhuj in Gujarat’s Kutch district who won the bronze medal in Hearthstone — a popular online digital collectible card game — at the Esports demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games.

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Hearthstone, developed and published by American video game Company, Blizzard Entertainment, has garnered huge interest among online gamers from across Asia, including Japan, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, besides India. The game is a combination of chess and poker, requiring players to have core skills in maths and probability.

The hours Tirth spend depend on whether or not there was an upcoming major tournament. If there isn’t, he usually spend a couple hours a day if there is, he spends between 5 hours to 14 hours a day playing.

Karan Manganani (Placed 4th in Asian Games 2018)
Esports Title – Clash Royale

Karan “jin kazama” Manganani is undoubtedly the best Clash Royale player in India. Karan Manganani, 20, like many other Indians of his generation, plays a lot of video games. He spends five hours a day on average, on his smartphone playing Clash Royale, a chess-like strategy game. Manganani has an easier time explaining his gaming habit to his parents, unlike most others his age, though. His ability to win virtual wars could potentially one day earn India gold at the Olympics.

List of Achievements 2018-20 Clash Royale: –

1. CRL Combine Phase 1 Rank 1
2. CRL Combine Main Event Rank Top 10(Los Angeles)
3. Asian Games 2018 National Champion (2018)
4. Asian Games 2018 Regional Champion (South Asia)
5. Asian Games 2018 Rank 4(All Over Asia)
6. Esl India Premiership 2018-19 Winter Season Champion
7. MGL World Cup Clash Royale 2018(India MVP)
8. World Royale League Clash Royale 2018(India Captain)
9. ESL India Premiership 2019-20 Summer Season Champion
10. World Royale League 2019 Team India (MVP)

Moinuddin Amdani:
Esports Title – PES 2020

Moinuddin started playing in 2012. His love for football motivated him to take up this game. It was initially started as a fun-time hobby like any other gaming individual. His parents are concerned about his career and job security as not every individual turn out to be a successful professional esports player. However, he is yet to break the news about his ambition of getting into full-time video gaming and becoming an esports professional.

Not owning a PlayStation is the biggest challenge for this India No. 1. Even though he plays professionally, he still has to go to a cyber cafe to play the matches as he doesn’t own a machine. He though feels Esports in India is booming but we still have that mindset of playing is a waste of time.

Amdani is targeting nothing short of gold at the upcoming Esports World Championship in Eliat, Israel.

Achievements:
Two-time national champion
Runner up in PES 2017 tournament at IGX
Runner up at Nations Cup held in India
Represented India at the 2019 World Championship 2019
Represented India at E-Masters Asia

Abhinav Tejan
Esports Title – Tekken7

Tejan started playing Tekken when he was around 7-8 years old and used to go to an arcade shop close to his house where he started playing recreationally.

While he started off casually with his friends at the arcade just for fun but right after his graduation from school, he saw an advertisement for a Tekken 6 tournament and he decided to participate and soon good introduced to the Tekken community in India as well. He started joining tournaments since 2010 and during this time there weren’t many tournaments happening and the community was quite a small one. With no official rules and pretty much every tournament having a different rule set all the time and unprofessional attitude at times when prize money were halved or declined-pretty much affected the growth of the game and increasing the popularity of the game.

Tejan feels getting a sponsor in India for a game which is not that popular is really hard, he has been trying to get the sponsors attention for many years now by staying at the number 1 position in India in Tekken and even placing top 3 in the international tournament but he is still without sponsors and at times even if sponsors are there Visa availability becomes an issue.

Achievements:
Current national champion
1st position in Dreamhack Delhi 2018 and 2019
3rd position SEA Major TWT 2018
4th position IESF 2018 Kaohsiung
9th position EVO Japan 2020

These young guns have set the ball rolling to make esports in India the most coveted profession with every tournament won and make India proud on winning the medals at national and international championships.

Asia

100 Exclusive Product Launches to Debut at G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo

Published

6 days ago

April 17, 2025

Niji Narayan

100-exclusive-product-launches-to-debut-at-g2e-asia-+-asian-ir-expo

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Building on 15 years of success, G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo is set to make its highly anticipated return to Macau from May 7-9, 2025, at The Venetian Macao.

The 2025 show will introduce a range of new initiatives, including 100 exclusive product launches debuting in Asia for the first time. These will be showcased across more than 30,000 sqm and will cover the full spectrum of the entertainment and travel industries.

The leading event in Asia is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors from 80 countries and regions. To maximise opportunities for attendees, the event will feature a series of high-impact networking sessions, along with a dedicated business matchmaking team coordinating over 400 pre-arranged meetings to streamline connections.

This year’s show will also introduce the new Gaming Innovation Forum, featuring three full days of sessions that will dive into the latest gaming trends and technologies, all presented by G2E Asia Awards winners and nominees. Located in the exhibition hall, the forum will be accessible to all event attendees.

The G2E Asia Awards celebrates excellence and innovation within the gaming and entertainment industry. The awards will spotlight five prestigious categories, each evaluated by a panel of renowned industry leaders: Best Slot Award, Best Electronic Table Game Award, Best Table Game Award, Best Casino Supply Award and Best IR Tech Solution Award. All award-winning products will be prominently displayed in the exhibition, giving attendees the opportunity to experience them firsthand.

The expanded Asian IR Expo will feature a new Smart Hospitality Technology Experience Zone, offering an immersive and interactive onsite experience. This space will showcase emerging innovations across three unique areas: Smart Reception, Smart Cleaning and Smart Hospitality, each providing guided tours and live demonstrations.

The post 100 Exclusive Product Launches to Debut at G2E Asia + Asian IR Expo appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Asia

SA Gaming is thrilled to announce the launch of Fish Prawn Crab

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

Reading Time: < 1 minute

SA Gaming is thrilled to announce the launch of Fish Prawn Crab, a timeless dice game that has captured hearts across Asia for generations. Players can predict the roll of three dice and bet on symbols or combinations to win big.

Different from common dice, the dice in Fish Prawn Crab uses symbols instead of numbers represented by dots. The six faces of a die in Fish Prawn Crab are Fish, Calabash, Tiger, Crab, Prawn and Rooster.

The bet types available include Specific Symbols (betting on a specific symbol appearing face up), Specific Double (a specific combination of two different symbols appearing face up), and Triples of the same color or same symbol.

The post SA Gaming is thrilled to announce the launch of Fish Prawn Crab appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Asia

Team Zero Gravity Triumphs in Indus International Tournament Powerplay, Secures Spot in LAN Finale

Published

1 week ago

April 15, 2025

Adrienn Sarkany

team-zero-gravity-triumphs-in-indus-international-tournament-powerplay,-secures-spot-in-lan-finale

Reading Time: 3 minutes

SuperGaming, India’s leading game developer, has successfully concluded the Powerplay Phase of the Indus International Tournament (IIT), the country’s premier grassroots-to-global esports showcase for its Indo-Futuristic battle royale, Indus.

The Powerplay Phase witnessed intense competition among professional esports teams from over 100 organizations. Teams battled fiercely on the map of Virlok, delivering high-stakes gameplay, demonstrating exceptional skill and strategic prowess. With ₹25 Lakhs up for grabs in this leg alone, the pressure was high — and performances, unforgettable.

Team Zero Gravity emerged as the champions of the Powerplay Phase, walking away with ₹10 Lakhs in winnings. The squad’s standout performer and Captain [ZG]SGOD – Sandeep Pandey earned the coveted MVP title, racking up 37 kills and 21,747 damage – an impressive stat line. He was awarded ₹1 Lakh for his outstanding performance.

Powerplay Phase Winners Announced:

Following weeks of intense competition, the teams emerging victorious from the Powerplay Phase are:

1. Team Zero Gravity – ₹10,00,000

2. Marcos Gaming – ₹4,00,000

3. Likitha Esports – ₹3,00,000

4. Heatbeast Esports – ₹2,50,000

5. Golden Hornet – ₹1,75,000

6. 4Ever Esports – ₹1,25,000

7. Autobotz Esports – ₹1,00,000

8. Blind Esports – ₹50,000

These 8 teams have now secured their spots in the upcoming Indus International Tournament LAN Finale, competing for the Champions Trophy and a ₹2 Crore prize pool. The LAN event is set for 18th May, 2025 at Drome Arena, Pune.

One Final Shot: The Last Chance Qualifier

For those still dreaming of the LAN stage, SuperGaming has opened The Final Portal. This is a last-chance qualifier offering one additional spot at the LAN Finale. Registrations are open until 16 April, 5:00 PM IST, with matches kicking off on 19 April, 2:00 PM IST.

Interested players can now form their squad, gear up, and register HERE.

Rising Stars. Real Careers.

More than just competition, the Indus International Tournament is becoming a launchpad for a new generation of Indian esports athletes. The tournament structure is designed to nurture grassroots talent and elevate India’s presence in global esports. For many, this is more than a trophy — it’s the start of a real career in competitive gaming.

Roby John, CEO and Co-Founder, SuperGaming, says,

“At SuperGaming, we’re building a gaming and esports ecosystem made in India—for India and the world. With Indus, we’re rethinking the traditional esports playbook by focusing on grassroots tournaments, creator-led events, and co-ownership opportunities that turn players and fans into real stakeholders.

Instead of chasing unsustainable models, we’re building a community-first framework that drives engagement, retention, and monetization—from in-game items to merch and transmedia content. Esports isn’t just a competitive format for us—it’s a storytelling engine where real-world players become heroes as part of the game’s evolving universe.

We believe India has a unique opportunity to lead the next wave of global gaming—and we’re laying the foundation to make that happen.”

Tournament Highlights:

The Indus International Tournament features four progressive phases: Homegrown, Nationals, Powerplay, and International, designed to reflect India’s diverse player base and competitive ecosystem.
Homegrown Phase: Showcased rising grassroots talent. Team Rogue, DGE, and Moggers qualified for the LAN Finale.
The National Phase concluded with Team Esports Battleground and Brazil-based organisation Team 4Magic advancing to the LAN Finale.
Kadiliman Esports from the Philippines is set to represent international talent at the LAN Final.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Indus International Tournament LAN finale will be awarded a custom Mahindra Thar*.

SuperGaming is thrilled with the overwhelming response and the level of competition seen throughout the tournament. With top teams, passionate fans, and leading creators heading to Pune, the Indus International Tournament LAN Finale is set to become one of India’s most defining esports events. This isn’t just a finale — it’s where the country’s next esports champions will rise.

The post Team Zero Gravity Triumphs in Indus International Tournament Powerplay, Secures Spot in LAN Finale appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.