Once looked down upon, Esports in India has come a long way especially when it comes to making a career in this space.
Now, Esports enthusiasts are earning in millions by playing tournaments, creating and streaming Esports content through brand collaborations and more.
While top Esports players earn in the range of Rs 1.5 lakh - 2 lakh per month, content creators who stream their games online earn between Rs 8-9 crore a year.
Content creators including Tanmay Singh also known as Scout, Naman Mathur aka Mortal, Animesh Agarwal and Jonathan Amaral earn around $1 million a year. Experts note that the earning of top Esports content creators was affected due to the ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Free Fire in India, both of which were banned in 2022 and reinstated in 2023. Esports gamers and content creators are expected to see high growth in the coming two years, noted experts.
The major revenue sources of Esports players include brand sponsorship and campaigns, streaming games on YouTube, invitations from major tournaments and brands for their tournaments or launches.
Also read: 10 years on, gaming, e-sports will be much bigger, says Nikhil Kamath
Highest-earning Esports players
Tanmay Singh aka Scout: Gaming content creator and influencer
Games he plays: BGMI, Valorant
Scout is one of India's most prominent BGMI gamers, who has a strong position in both Esports and content creation. With a history of representing India in international tournaments, he has over 4 million followers on Instagram and 4.8 million on YouTube.
Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug: Gaming entrepreneur and influencer
Games he plays: BGMI
Animesh Agarwal is a gamer-turned-entrepreneur who has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube. He streams popular games like BGMI.
Naman Mathur aka Mortal: Gaming content creator and influencer
Games he plays: BGMI, Valorant, GTA 5
With close to 7 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 5.3 million followers on Instagram, Mortal is the only Indian Esports player to be nominated three times at the Esports Awards.
Jonathan Amaral aka Jonathan Gaming: Esports athlete and gaming influencer
Games he plays: BGMI
Jonathan is among the most renowned BGMI gamers in India. Securing victories in tournaments such as PUBG Mobile Club Open - Fall Split: South Asia and PUBG Mobile India Series. He shares BGMI content with his extensive following of over 5.6 million subscribers on YouTube.
Raj Varma aka Snax: Gaming content creator and influencer
Games he plays: BGMI, Valorant
Snax has dominated the competitive scene playing for teams like Insidious, Velocity Gaming, and Team XO. He has over 1.64 million subscribers on YouTube. His content spans various games, including Valorant, Among Us, and GTA V.
Also read: Esports industry pins hopes on Asian Games for player growth in India
Ujjwal Chaurasia aka TechnoGamerz: Gaming content creator
Games he plays: Simulator games, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Resident Evil 4, Minecraft, Cyberpunk 2077
TechnoGamerz has established himself as India's leading YouTube gamer with a massive following of more than 37 million subscribers. Known for his ability to effortlessly stream diverse gaming content, he streams racing, simulator and story mode games.
Harsh Paudwal aka SOUL Goblin: Esports athlete and Gaming Content Creator
Games he plays: BGMI
Goblin is a highly renowned BGMI gamer, securing most valuable player (MVP) title in various tournaments. Goblin's most significant achievement includes winning the inaugural Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series and earning the MVP title in that tournament.
Rudra aka Spower: Esports athlete
Games he plays: BGMI
Spower made a significant impact on the BGMI Esports landscape this year by winning the Battlegrounds Mobile Pro Series 2023 and Skyesports Championship 5.0, emerging as the MVP in the former. At the young age of 17, Spower is hailed as one of the country's top gamers.
Also read: Esports looking for acceptance as one of the top three sports in India, says NODWIN Gaming MD
Ammar Khan aka Destro: Esports athlete
Games he plays: BGMI
Destro has been a dominant force in the BGMI scene in India for a long time. Starting from the PUBG Mobile Club Open - Fall Split 2020: India, he clinched victory in the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series in 2021 and two official tournaments this year - BGMI Masters Series Season 2 and Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2023. He also secured the second position in the recently concluded Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series 2023.
Shubham Sahoo aka NinjaJOD: Esports athlete
Games he plays: BGMI
NinjaJOD showcased his prowess by securing a second-place finish in the India Korea Invitational this year against high-profile teams from South Korea. He also claimed victory in the Villager Esports Pro Invitational 2023.
Also read: Play to Pay: Indian gamer earnings soar to Rs 20 lakh annually as esports goes mainstream
Eventful 2023 for Esports
Esports had an eventful year with its debut in the Asian Games as a medal event and with a clear distinction between Esports and real money games through the amendments made to the Information and Technology (IT) Act.
In addition, Esports received official recognition from the Indian government as a multi-sport event and it was categorised under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in December 2022.
In FY23, India was home to 568 million gamers and the gaming market hit around Rs 25,768 crore ($3.1 billion) from around Rs 21,627 crore ($2.6 billion) in FY22. In the gaming market, the Esports segment grew from Rs 249 crore ($0.03 billion) in FY22 to Rs 332 crore ($0.04 billion) in FY23 and is estimated to reach Rs 831 crore ($0.1 billion) by FY28.
The number of Esports players grew fourfold to 6 lakh in 2022 from 1.5 lakh in 2021 and the number is projected to increase to 15 lakh by the end of 2027, according to a report by early-stage venture capital firm Lumikai and Amazon Web Services.
Esports is estimated to become a Rs 1,100 crore industry by 2025, a four-fold increase from Rs 250 crore in 2021, a separate EY 2023 report said.
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