Esports tournament organiser Jet Skyesports has unveiled its latest IP – the Skyesports Masters. This will be not only the country’s first-ever franchise-based esports league but also the biggest gaming tournament to date in India, with a whopping two crore rupees prize pool.
The groundbreaking league will feature a total of eight franchise teams comprising the biggest national as well as international names in CS:GO, and will happen as an on-ground event (LAN) with a live audience in Mumbai, India.
By leveraging its position in the market to unlock revenue streams for all eight franchised teams in the company with sponsorships, merchandise sales, and media rights deals, Jet Skyesports will act as an enabler for the creation of a sustainable ecosystem for Counter-Strike in the years to come.
Sharing his thoughts on the creation of the IP and its vision, Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy said, “The Skyesports Masters is set to redefine and raise the bar for esports in India. With our franchised system, we have found eight fantastic partners to be a part of the inaugural season of the league. Our goal for the league is not to just create one of the grandest tournaments for audiences to enjoy but also to build a viable ecosystem for esports organisations while unlocking many revenue streams for them. This is the need of the hour for the Indian esports industry as a lot of organisations are reeling under huge losses and we hope Skysports Masters can be the much-needed game changer for the industry.”
The league will kick off with the cafe qualifiers followed by the main event in Mumbai. Here, the eight franchise teams will battle it out in front of a live audience to choose the ultimate “Skyesports Masters.”
In order to provide the emerging and highly talented gamers of the country a platform to showcase their talent, Jet Skyesports has tied up with local gaming cafés across 20 different cities such as Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and several others, to scout for the best CS:GO players during the qualifiers. The league will provide franchise teams with an option to add the best of the scouted players from the qualifiers to their star-studded rosters.
JetSynthesys gaming division CEO Anuj Tandon added, “Over the years Skyesports has hosted various tournaments in association with some of the popular games. Counter-Strike has been at the heart of India’s gaming café culture for decades and Skyesports’ association with CS:GO will usher in a revival of the game ahead of the release of Counter-Strike 2. It’s a significant milestone for us as we gear up to bring forth Skyesports’ first-ever franchised esports league that will see a lot of talent emerge and contribute to the growth of the Indian esports industry at the grassroots level.”
In spite of being a traditional esports title, CS:GO is still a prominent part of the esports ecosystem with more than 36,00,000 players playing the game in March of this year.
The schedule for the qualifiers, exact venue, and ticketing information will be announced soon on Skyesports’ social media handles.