Esports is on a whole new level today in India. It has grasped the eyeballs of the audience as well as investors and companies in India, gaining a huge amount of capital and resources. And for esports to become the next big thing in India, it requires little push as it is already sharing promising results and returns at an early stage.
In conversation with AnimationXpress, Resilience Esports co-founder and CEO Dhiman Kashyap shared, “There has been a phenomenal amount of support, visibility along with engagement provided by the audience, especially the youth when the discussion is about esports and the numbers are growing exponentially. Also with the recent conditions and restrictions due to the global pandemic, there has been an increase in users for esports around the world. This has been a matter of discussion and debate among the investors as they are constantly observing the market as well as the trends for upcoming investments, thus making esports a potential domain for investors to invest and receive adequate returns from it.”
A lot of underdog esports teams have grown up in the last one year. As per Kashyap there are a few things that an esports team should focus on to sustain in India. They are visibility, management and revenue generation. In fact, the majority of the Indian underdog esports teams face these issues and because of which the teams loses its sustainability.
“In order for a small esports organisation to look for investments and sponsors, their portfolio should be impressive and convincing with past experiences and projects that are executed and completed properly. The scale and size of the projects and activities conducted may be small as the organisation is at a small scale, but the ROI generated and visibility should be of a high percentage. After this, they can have an evaluation of their organisation, revenue generated and equity to be offered if the organisation is looking for partners. All these numbers, percentage and results are received only if the management and members are dedicated, passionate and working for the betterment of their organisation as well as esports in general,” he added.
Diving deeper into the Indian esports market and plans of Resilience Esports, Kashyap shared his in depth insights in the excerpt below:
What were the thoughts and vision that went behind making Resilience Esports?
The vision of Resilience Esports is to make a better environment for esports in India as well as globally. We are fostering our own team and players for esports competitions along with providing monetary and non-monetary benefits for content creators and connecting them with brands and companies for mutual benefits. Along with this, we are also developing our own infrastructure for the players and creators so that they can develop further in this process.
India boasts of top Gaming Content Creators and structured agency firms are the need of the hour who can connect them with the right brands. What’s your opinion about it?
Content creators in the gaming industry need to be systematically organised and managed so that optimal results are obtained. In India the number of content creators is increasing along with the need for organising them systematically so that they receive the necessary monetary and non-monetary benefits. At Resilience Esports, we have developed ‘The Content Creators Program’ where we have more than 500 creators signed exclusively and non-exclusively with us along with around 30 brands that are working together for mutual benefit.
Tell us about the Resilience Esports holistic business model.
The approach that Resilience Esports has taken for business is quite a simple one. We are focused on the competitive part of esports where we host events such as tournaments and talk shows as well as our teams compete in different tournaments. Along with that, we are also expanding our business model on the content creators side running the current India’s largest content creators program with more than 500+ creators and 30+ brands where we connect the creators to brands with certain ROI from the exchange. We are also one of the major IP creators in terms of soft esports related elements in terms of everyone’s daily life, where different people, audience and also stakeholders can be a part of the revolution. Moreover, Resilience Esports also has its own line of merchandise and products that are available for purchase which also adds on to our business model.
Resilience Esports is both a talent management firm and a professional video games organisation. How difficult it is to manage both?
It is indeed a huge task to manage on both of these platforms. But we have our management team that is efficient and skilled which makes the process easier to operate and process. Starting and maintaining an esports company in India is indeed difficult, but during this process we get to exchange ideas and interact with brilliant minds who share the same philosophy as us about esports and its development. Also the rewards and benefits received from this hard work keeps the team motivated and the company performing at its best.
How is Resilience helping brands get the statistics (engagement rate) of content creators who can work as the right influencer for the brand?
Since we have a huge number of creators working with and under us, we have the variety in quality and quantity for the engagement rate and content that can be provided to the brand. So we can specifically choose the right creators for the correct brands that can make the project a successful one.
How important is it to provide programmatic campaign ideas to brands which mutually benefits both the brand and creator?
During a campaign, the brand or a company has their own set of requirements that is requested from the outcome of the project. The non programmatic campaign provides the visibility to the audience in an generalised manner. However programmatic campaigns have provided more effective results as they are presented to the section of audience who are interested in the product or the campaign. Because of the better results, it gives better visibility to the brand and better monetary and non-monetary benefits to the creator. So we are always conducting the market study as our creators can provide around five billion impressions monthly which needs to be used in the best possible manner.
How did Resilience Esports partner-up with top international players to develop the content creation structure?
Firstly we have figured out our management for this project as we believe development starts from within. After that we have connected the brands to creators who can fulfill their respective deliverables and monitor their progress and collaborations. With constant supervision and improvement in the system, we are able to keep this program running and grow it to be the largest not only in India but globally.
What are the biggest developments Resilience Esports has in store in the coming months?
We are planning to take the Content Creators Program a step further and beyond esports along with pushing it to the global market and huge brands will be partnering with us in this project. Also we are planning a few events and tournaments with a high prize pool for the top teams as well as underdogs. We will be announcing the details of these events in our social media handles so please stay tuned as great things are coming.
How has the response from the fans been so far?
The response from the fans has been a truly overwhelming response. Per month we are generating more than 2.4 million impressions on our social media platforms, our creators generate Five Billion plus impressions on different spaces, more than 50-60 creators with a decent reach join us on a daily basis, we close at least two to three brands on a weekly basis. I don’t think anyone has these kinds of numbers as of now in India. We are thankful to the audience who has shown their love for Resilience Esports and dedication for gaming. We see a huge potential in the people as they are the true champions in this game.
With the launch of BGMI, what are your thoughts regarding the game and the esports scene in India?
BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI) has always been a fan favourite game in India and it has received a huge amount of support from the Indian audience. With its launch, the esports scenario in India has received a boost. Events such as tournaments, talk shows and content creators showcasing their talents in various social media platforms have increased on a daily basis. From these results we can conclude that there is immense love and passion for esports in India.
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Non-endemic brands are betting big into esports. Your opinion?
The main purpose of involving capital in esports is because of the returns that are generated from the transaction. The brand can be from various backgrounds but as long as the brand received its benefits along with a positive experience, the project is considered as a successful one.
Tell us more about the current rosters, game-specific. Are you planning to expand into more games?
We currently have rosters for Free Fire and League of Legends Wild Rift along with an academic line up for BGMI. We are looking for talented esport athletes and teams whom we can provide the necessary support that can perform well in global tournaments on behalf of Resilience Esports and India.
Do you have plans to launch fantasy esports as well?
We are discussing internally about fantasy esports and how Resilience Esports can be a part of it. But there are a lot of aspects that we have to see when it comes to this department. Hopefully in the near future if we have our own team and infrastructure, we can definitely venture into this department.
What is your business plan for 2021?
We are planning to take things globally and increase the efficiency of the activities that we are currently doing. Also we are planning for infrastructure development so that we can create opportunities for athletes and creators to develop. Lastly we would like to make the Esports scenario as a whole better in India and with the dedication from our team and support from the audience.