In a landmark decision, the Government of India has announced a series of initiatives aimed at boosting the esports and gaming industry in the country.
One of them is a LAN tournament featuring three popular games: BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India), eFootball, and WCC3 (World Cricket Championship 3).
This marks a historic moment as it's the first time the Indian government is hosting an esports event of this scale.
The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Modi's recent meeting with gamers, followed by his Independence Day speech on careers in gaming and esports.
Where and When Will the Tournament Take Place?
The LAN finals will be hosted in Goa, a popular tourist destination in India.
Qualifiers for the tournament will be conducted online in 4 batches that are:
Batch 1: September 1st – September 15th
Batch 2: September 18th – October 2nd
Batch 3: October 4th – October 19th
Batch 4: October 21st – November 4th
All this event will be led to the grand finals scheduled for November 20 to 24 in Goa.
Who Can Participate in the Tournament?
Players from all over India can register for the tournament.
Registration will open on key dates: August 23rd, September 1st, September 18th, and October 4th.
The qualifiers will be divided into four batches, with the top three teams from each batch advancing to the grand finals.
For eFootball/WCC3: 64 players
For BGMI: 12
In addition to the Indian teams, 4 international teams will also participate in the finals, bringing the total number of finalists to 16 for BGMI and 68 for eFootball and WCC3.
The tournament will feature both solo and team-based competitions.
Who is Organizing the Tournament?
The Esports Federation of India (ESFI), the governing body of esports in India, will conduct the tournament.
ESFI's involvement adds credibility to the event, as it is a full member of international esports organizations such as the International Esports Federation (IESF), the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), and the Global Esports Federation (GEF).
Broader Initiative: Create in India Challenge Season
A day before announcing the LAN tournament, the government launched a broader initiative called the "Create in India Challenge Season" at WAVE Summit.
This initiative features 25 competitions across various digital creative fields, including gaming, animation, and AR/VR.
The primary objective of this challenge is to foster gaming as a culture and viable career option in India. By doing so, the government aims to position India as a global player in the gaming industry.
This esports tournament is part of this initiative.
State Government Involvement in Esports
While this is the first national-level initiative, some state governments have already taken steps to promote esports:
The Bihar and Kerala governments have launched similar initiatives on a smaller scale.
The Uttar Pradesh government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Garena, the publisher of the popular battle royale game Free Fire.
The Gujarat government signed an MOU with Krafton to foster esports culture in the state.
On a global level, governments like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Vietnam also taking various initiatives to foster the esports culture within the country.
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