Highlights
- Nationwide collegiate initiative across 128 institutions aims to strengthen India’s esports talent pipeline and community engagement.
- DPIIT collaboration expands education and startup pathways across gaming, esports, and digital entertainment.
- Campus initiatives create career opportunities in casting, production, management, and media roles.
India’s esports ecosystem is transitioning from tournament-driven engagement to structured talent development. While speaking to Outlook Respawn at the BGIS 2026 Grand Final in Chennai, KRAFTON India outlined a long-term strategy centered on grassroots education, campus activations, and career pathway development.
The company’s approach focuses on building sustainable audiences and creating professional opportunities for students entering the industry.
The initiative comes amid growing recognition that India’s esports audience remains fragmented. Large events attract viewership spikes, but consistent attendance and long-term engagement still depend on ecosystem maturity. KRAFTON India’s grassroots model aims to address these gaps by integrating esports into educational institutions and community-level participation.
Karan Pathak, associate director of esports at KRAFTON India, told Outlook Respawn that audience-building requires consistent effort rather than reliance on marquee teams.
“If you look at LAN events, people usually come to watch their favorite teams, irrespective of performance. There are also LANs where big teams participate, but the crowd still doesn’t show up. Even with multiple teams, some venues remain empty. That doesn’t mean we should stop our efforts. If we do the right things, people will come, and there will be no complaints,” Pathak said.
128-College Campus Tour Builds Structured Entry Points
KRAFTON India’s grassroots push is anchored by its nationwide campus tour spanning 128 colleges across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities. The program integrates structured esports competitions into college festivals, providing students with organized competitive environments rather than informal gaming setups.
The initiative evolved from an earlier rollout covering 64 colleges and expanded due to strong demand from institutions and students. This scale-up reflects growing interest in campus-level esports participation across regions.
More than 50K students participated in earlier editions, demonstrating early adoption of collegiate esports competition.
These campus tournaments are designed with standardized formats, oversight, and progression pathways. Top-performing teams can advance from college events to zonal stages and eventually enter larger competitive circuits such as BGIS and BMPS qualifiers.
KRAFTON India also expanded its esports portfolio by introducing additional IPs such as BMSD and the Battlegrounds Mobile India International Cup (BMIC). The BMIC was held at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi, where 16 teams from India, South Korea, and Japan competed in a cross-regional LAN event.
This structured pipeline transforms casual gaming into professional opportunities.
The program also embeds esports into college festivals, increasing visibility and normalizing participation within academic environments. Colleges manage on-ground execution, while KRAFTON India provides competitive frameworks, prize pools, and operational consistency.
Education and Awareness as Ecosystem Foundations
KRAFTON India views education as essential to long-term ecosystem growth. Campus initiatives introduce students to esports as a structured industry rather than purely recreational gaming.
Pathak stated that grassroots awareness will shape future adoption. “Education remains critical. Campus activations and grassroots initiatives help build awareness. That foundation will help the ecosystem move forward,” he added.
Educational outreach programs often include workshops on broadcasting, event management, and community operations. These sessions expand the understanding of esports beyond competitive play. By exposing students to operational roles, KRAFTON India aims to build a broader talent pool.
The campus tour also introduces professional tournament structures. Students experience standardized rules, commentary, and stage production, mirroring professional esports environments. This exposure helps build familiarity with industry workflows and career opportunities.
Additionally, each host college receives competitive incentives and organized tournament formats, reinforcing esports as a credible extracurricular activity. Earlier campus tours featured prize pools exceeding INR 2 crore and participation from esteemed institutions such as IIT Delhi and IIT Kanpur.
KRAFTON India
DPIIT Collaboration Expands Industry Pathways
KRAFTON India’s grassroots strategy is complemented by its collaboration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The partnership focuses on supporting startups and talent development across gaming, esports, and interactive media sectors.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to foster innovation in areas such as online gaming, esports, artificial intelligence, and digital entertainment. It includes mentorship programs, workshops, hackathons, and industry exposure initiatives.
The collaboration also encourages startup participation and knowledge exchange platforms. These initiatives help early-stage companies refine business models and develop scalable solutions within the gaming ecosystem.
By connecting education programs with startup incubation, KRAFTON India aims to create a complete ecosystem pipeline. Students can transition from campus competitions to entrepreneurship, content creation, or technical roles.
Audience Development and Long-Term Sustainability
Indian esports attendance patterns remain inconsistent. Some LAN events draw strong crowds, while others struggle despite featuring top teams. This volatility underscores the need for grassroots audience-building.
Campus activations create localized communities that support regional tournaments. Students who participate in competitions often become spectators and long-term followers of the ecosystem.
Over time, this participation can translate into consistent audience growth.
The 128-college campus tour introduces structured progression systems, with top-performing teams advancing through competitive tiers. This progression creates narratives and rivalries that encourage spectator engagement.
This approach mirrors collegiate esports models in North America and Europe, where university leagues helped stabilize viewership before large franchised leagues emerged.
How These Initiatives Translate Into Career Opportunities in Esports
One of the primary outcomes of campus-level esports development is the expansion of career opportunities. As structured competition grows, demand increases for professionals across multiple domains.
Competitive pathways allow players to transition into professional teams through campus qualifiers and national tournaments, lowering entry barriers for amateur talent. These structured circuits create visibility for emerging players and help organizations identify new recruits.
Production and broadcasting roles are also expanding. Campus tournaments require observers, commentators, analysts, and production staff. Students involved in these events gain practical experience in esports media operations and live event workflows.
Event management opportunities increase as collegiate competitions scale. Organizing tournaments involves logistics planning, sponsorship coordination, venue management, and scheduling. These responsibilities translate into careers in esports operations and tournament management.
Content creation and community management roles are growing alongside grassroots initiatives. Colleges often run social media campaigns, highlight videos, and live coverage. Students participating in these activities build skills relevant to esports marketing and digital media.
Game development and technical roles also benefit from the ecosystem. The DPIIT collaboration emphasizes innovation in artificial intelligence, game design, and interactive media, creating pathways for technical professionals entering the gaming industry.
Startup opportunities are another emerging avenue. Mentorship programs and innovation challenges encourage students to develop esports-related platforms, analytics tools, and content services.
Career paths are expanding across roles such as casters, esports team social media managers, photojournalists, editorial team members, public relations managers, and other operational and media positions.
Outlook Respawn
Industry-Wide Shift Toward Collegiate Ecosystems
KRAFTON India’s grassroots approach reflects broader industry trends. Organizers and publishers increasingly view collegiate ecosystems as foundational to long-term growth.
Structured campus competitions create consistent engagement. They also generate localized communities that support regional tournaments. Over time, these ecosystems produce professional players, production talent, and operational staff.
This shift reduces reliance on marquee teams. Instead, audience loyalty grows around institutions, regional rivalries, and recurring competitions.
Long-Term Vision for Indian Esports
Pathak outlined the long-term outlook for ecosystem growth. “At the grassroots level, we are putting in all our efforts. Once the grassroots become strong, the overall structure becomes stable. Right now, there may be struggles,” he said. “But once people understand how big esports can be, there will be more games, more opportunities, and continuous growth. We believe India will reach that stage in a couple of years.”
KRAFTON India expects grassroots investments to translate into consistent participation and audience growth. As campus initiatives expand, the ecosystem could evolve toward structured collegiate leagues and larger professional circuits.
Building a Sustainable Talent Pipeline
KRAFTON India’s strategy combines education, competition, and industry collaboration. The 128-college initiative, DPIIT partnership, and campus outreach programs collectively aim to build a long-term talent pipeline.
By focusing on local engagement, the company seeks to create sustainable audiences and professional opportunities. If participation continues to grow, collegiate esports could become a foundational pillar of India’s gaming industry.
The success of this approach will depend on continuity. Consistent investment in education and community-building may determine whether India transitions from event-driven growth to a mature esports ecosystem.
