'If Esports gets the required support from the government...' says Tarun Gupta, Founder, Ultimate Battle

The Indian gaming industry and Esports is growing, and so are the number of titles that are being played in the country. Mr Tarun Gupta, Founder, Ultimate Battle gets into a conversation with Sportslumo to talk about the future of Esports in the country.

What would you say has changed in the last few years since Esports has picked up pace in the country?

Esports has gained good traction in recent years. This can be seen in the spike in the number of Esports leagues that are being organized for games like Free Fire, Valorant, and BGMI. Another trend that we are seeing of late is that many esports organizations are being founded and are creating their IPs in the form of events or teams.

It is also exciting to see that the esports ecosystem has started to grow in multiple directions. We are starting to see multiple career options in the form of professional players, coaches, streamers, and commentators. We are sure that in the times to come the industry will unfold in many different ways.

What is the vision that you have for Ultimate Battle for the next five years, considering how rapidly Esports is being accepted the world over?

Our main Vision for Ultimate Battle is to create an ecosystem for gaming communities to connect, interact and compete to revolutionize the Esports industry in India. We are also about to launch a service on Ultimate Battle through which anyone who wishes to organize an event, will be able to use our platform’s capabilities to host and manage their event.

In addition to this we are also working towards creating a 360-degree experience for gamers in the form of content production and Ecommerce portal.

We also expect to grow in terms of user base exponentially and reach the 10 million mark in 18 months. 

Before the Asian Games, what laws and legalities would you like for the government to touch upon with regards to Esports?

In India, there’s chaos on what Esports is and everyone wants to club just any online game as Esports. The first thing we would like the government to address is categorizing and defining esports as a separate entity and create regulations to govern this industry.

We would also like the Government to recognize Esports as Sports and put it under the sports framework and policies. This will allow the Esports industry to grow exponentially and also lead to change in mass audience perception.

What is the biggest challenge that Esports could have in a country like India where, despite growth, Esports is taboo?

The target audience for Digital Gaming in India has always been the younger generation and their guardians have always considered gaming as a form of distraction. While we can see the growth of Esports in India the basic mindset of most people still remains the same. This definitely is one of the biggest challenges Esports in India has to overcome.

In order to address this issue, the most important thing is to establish Esport as a sport and should not be mixed with other forms of gaming (casual, cards, fantasy gaming etc.). In addition to this the industry needs to organize itself and create opportunities for the talent to come forward and get recognized.

Realistically, do you see the Indian gaming community reach the global level in the next 5 years?

There are many talented players in India who have always established their footprints on the global stage. 5 years is a lot of time and the pace at which the Indian Esports industry is growing, if it gets the required support from the government it’s only a matter of time that you will see our athletes win gold medals.

The global esports market rose from $43 billion to $159 billion from 2019 to 2020 with the Asia-Pacific region having the biggest share. Even though the gaming industry often relies on consumer spending for revenue, one can not deny many found the time to play during the lockdown. Games have become more engaging and tournaments— more approachable.

There has been a huge shift from what was earlier a single investment business to a more lucrative one. Costs of in-game purchases are low, and people can easily afford them, generating more profit for the developer and distributor.