ESPORTS SPREADS ITS WEB

From top-tier competitions to govt recognition and mainstream brand interest, the industry is now evolving from a video gaming format with isolated events to an ecosystem of all-round activity

- KUNAL DOLEY

THIS YEAR, THE Chief Minister's Trophy in Tamil Nadu marked a historic moment for esports in India. For the first time, it was organised as one of the 38 disciplines in the state-level tournament that has now become a cornerstone of Tamil Nadu's sports ecosystem. A new generation of athletes, armed with consoles and mousepads, battled it out at their gaming stations for a slice of the ₹37-crore overall prize pool pie, playing popular titles like EA FC 25, Street Fighter 6, Pokémon Unite, and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).

If that wasn't enough, state capital Chennai also played host to another major esports tournament, Chennai Esports Global Championship (CEGC), one of the first state-backed esports contests in the country. The first edition, held from November 7 to 16, was organised by Skyesports, a leading gaming organisation, with backing from the Tamil Nadu government. The tournament had a prize pool of ₹1 crore and featured two titles—BGMI and Counter-Strike 2 (CS2).

A few days earlier, Indian esports reached another milestone. Taking place from October 31 to November 2, at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, New Delhi, the inaugural BGMI International Cup (BMIC) 2025 brought together 16 elite teams from India, South Korea, and Japan, competing for a ₹1-crore prize pool and two coveted qualification slots for the Global Championship 2025.

For years, Indian players have competed in international esports tournaments held abroad. But BMIC 2025 marked a new chapter in the history of esports, bringing the tournament to Indian soil.