Time, money, and branding

Ashwin Suresh, Founder, Loco, enthuses that 2023 was a rocket ship for the gaming industry, and 2024 is poised to follow suit. “The Indian gaming ecosystem is primed for growth, fostering a relationship between the advertising and esports sectors. Additionally, live streaming platforms are experiencing rapid revenue growth, with a year-on-year increase of 13%, attracting a larger consumer base. This upward trend is strengthening the connection between brands and live-streaming platforms,” he says.

“Users are increasingly spending more time on the platform, enabling in-game advertisers to conduct effective targeting based on age, geography, gender, device, language, and interest groupings to reach their ideal users and optimize ROI” he adds.

Animesh Agarwal aka 8Bit Thug, Founder and CEO of 8Bit Creatives and S8UL, points to the successful integration of non-endemic brands into the gaming space, such as MG’s Comet’s launch, specifically designed for gamers with his brand’s creator Mortal, exemplifies the potential for brands to connect authentically with the gaming audience.

“Non-endemic brands will continue exploring the gaming market, building on their influx of sponsorships and investments in the previous year. We also anticipate the eSports industry to become a preferred advertising medium for brands, both endemic and non-endemic, as it holds the potential to rival major sporting franchises by offering multiple revenue streams like sponsorships, advertising, media rights, merchandise, and ticket sales,” he says.

eSports, eSupports

The rise of eSports as an official sport and its imminent participation in major events is set to attract substantial investments into the sector. Corporates and conglomerates, with a proven track record of supporting sports in the country, are expected to play a pivotal role in fueling this surge in investments.

Keeping that in mind, for Lokesh Suji, Director, eSports Federation of India and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF), over the next two years, the focus is to assemble the best possible Indian contingent starting right from meticulously organizing national qualifiers to ensure a fair qualification process for our athletes.

“We will leverage our partnerships with Hama and FITGMR to provide top-notch gaming gear and coaching to the contingent to make sure that they are well-prepared to not just compete but bring laurels for the country.”

In one of the larger partnerships in gaming of late is Ampverse which partnered with DMI Finance with the mission to fuel the growth of esports within India. In this collaboration, Ampverse DMI announced a slew of partnerships with leading brands, including Philips, the styling partner, Jio Games as media partner offering seamless streaming to a million fans for its esports collegiate IP College Rivals. In addition, it also unveiled a partnership with free-to-play gaming platform Nostra and Glance, supported by energy drink brand Red Bull for its existing esports collegiate IP event.

“With our IP, College Rivals, we aim to drive excellence in esports by establishing a unified college community that celebrates the excitement of esports. We are thrilled to witness our vision for College Rivals coming to life with the support of these exceptional brands. We are hopeful that this tournament will deliver an enthralling entertainment experience to all attendees, further affirming our commitment to fostering esports globally,” says Ashwin Haryani, Country Head-India, Ampverse.

Ready players win

Rohit Agarwal, Founder and Director, Alpha Zegus, agrees that the segment is increasingly seeing more non-endemic brands not only market to gamers, but also create gaming-centric products (eg. Hero, MG Motors, etc) to make themselves more relevant.

“I’m expecting this trend to continue and grow in 2024, with more brands making products/services centred around gaming. Also, we will see non-endemic gaming being more inclusive this year, either through tournament sponsorships, team sponsorships, or media rights,” he says, while noting that for endemic brands, their marketing spends will depend on their 2024 product roadmap, but for now, it seems positive.

Animesh Agarwal adds that the transformative potential of technologies like AI, Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) is expected to drive further investments and innovation in the gaming sector. Moreover, the alignment between gaming and entertainment platforms is poised to create a win-win situation for both industries, with the entry of multiple services or platforms into the gaming ecosystem.

“A couple of interesting entrants in the space are Jio and KICK. While one is one of the most recognized brands in India, the latter is gaining fame worldwide and is all set to enter the Indian space. We are also seeing more conglomerates like PayTM, Airtel, etc. preparing themselves to enter the game, and we can start expecting launches from Q2,” says Rohit Agarwal.

As Suresh points out, “The last three esports events on Loco featured partners from brands in the hardware, FMCG, and consumer electronics space, showcasing diverse interests. Overall, 2024 is expected to witness the consolidation of gaming as a preferred advertising medium in India.”