The virtual world of Esports in India continues to grow at a rapid pace. With games like Call of Duty: Mobile, Free Fire and Battlegrounds Mobile India having a massive player base, the Esports scene has evolved as well. After monitoring the space for several years, talent management agency Cornerstone Sport recently made its first foray into the industry with its new vertical Cornerstone Esports by partnering with the massively popular organization, GodLike Esports.

The company has signed the organization’s massively talented BGMI team to its roster. The star roster contains talents like Abhishek ‘ZGOD’ Choudhary, Chetan ‘Kronten’ Chandgude, Abhijeet ‘Ghatak’ Andhare, Suraj ‘Neyoo’ Majumdar, Vivek ‘ClutchGod’ Horo, Harpreet Singh Janjuha ‘RonaK’ and Jonathan Amaral. Following Cornerstone’s recent entry, we had a chat with COO Jogesh Lulla to talk about the future of its venture and the Indian Esports scene.

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“GodLike checked all the boxes”- Cornerstone COO on partnering with India’s premier Esports organization

Congratulations on venturing into Esports in India. What would you say was the biggest factor that was the driving force for Cornerstone behind this venture? How does Esports fit into your roster, which already includes a variety of high-profile sports personalities?

Thank you! We have been monitoring the Esports space for a few years now and have been waiting for the right time to enter the market. Globally, Esports is one of the largest sports in terms of viewership and prize money. The lockdown in India played an instrumental part in the growth of the gaming industry which also led to the increased popularity of Esports in the country. While still in a nascent stage, the market is ready to hit the inflection point and we wanted to enter the market before that happens.

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The services required for the Esports ecosystem are the same as that of any other sport. Esports also have some very high profile athletes and teams. The only difference is the size of the market. It is a perfect fit for us and we will work on building the brands of these teams and athletes just like we have done in other sports.

A lot of big Esports organizations have managed to get a good amount of funding in the last couple of years. How do you think this affects the Esports scenario in India and Cornerstone’s overall strategy with this venture moving forward?

This is obviously a great thing for the industry and validates the fact that we are on a rapid growth path. The funding will help teams focus on growth, player retention and building their brands and the ecosystem for the sport in the country. At Cornerstone, we have helped raise funds for multiple startups, and have created an ecosystem of investors. We will be looking to strengthen that network and further raise funds for organizations within Esports as well.

Most of these Esports organizations have their own set of player managers and representatives. Your partnership with GodLike is quite unique in that way since you have just collaborated with their BGMI roster. What was the thought behind this particular model?

Our collaboration is with GodLike as a team and not just a particular roster. As an organization, we like to partner with and/or represent people who have a similar vision. GodLike checked all the boxes as far as their focus on growth, brand building and keen interest to grow the Esports ecosystem. Our thought process is simple. We like to partner with the right people and grow with them.

Plans of expansion on the cards for Cornerstone Esports

Esports in India has mostly been dominated by mobile gaming. However, since PUBG was banned, Call of Duty: Mobile and Free Fire took a big leap forward. Even though BGMI is back now, it is still in the nascent stage in terms of Esports. So why sign a BGMI roster instead of a CODM or a Free Fire Team which is already established?

BGMI is possibly the most popular game in India. It has served as an exceptional platform for most Esports athletes in the country. As PUBG, it was probably the first game to be played competitively by such a large number of people sparking the growth of Esports in India. It has allowed several people to make a career out of something they enjoy playing. Despite its ban, at present BGMI, has over 34 million registered players and 16 million daily active users. We started with their BGMI roster initially since it was the only roster they had but are now representing their Free Fire and CODM rosters as well.

Why did you choose to collaborate with GodLike in the first place? What was the thought process behind that decision?

GodLike is one of the most successful Esports teams in the country. They have established rosters across 3 games – BGMI, CODM and Free Fire. All 3 rosters have consistently performed exceptionally well. When we spoke to Kronten, founder of GodLike, and understood his ambition and vision for GodLike as well as the development of the Esports industry in India, it resonated with us. We believe that the collaboration was the perfect step whilst entering the Esports industry.

What is your plan of action for the Esports industry for 2022 and beyond?

We have a large focus on helping international teams to enter India and will also be looking to make a few strategic investments in areas that we feel might be better to partner with others to grow faster.

In addition, we have multiple intellectual properties and tournaments in development which will be unveiled towards the end of the year and early next year and the obvious part will be us expanding our roster and adding more professional gamers, teams and content creators from various titles.

Extremely bright future for the Indian Esports scene

Where do you see the Indian Esports industry going forward? What are the biggest challenges in your mind that it is facing at the moment?

There are signs of a very rapidly growing industry with tremendous prospects which will require a lot of support in all functions of the sport to grow. It is bound to lead to a lot of job creation and investment in the space considering the immense room available to grow. The coming years are set to be years of growth and engagement for the Indian Esports industry, and the future looks seemingly bright.

As for the challenges, just like traditional sports, Esports teams have expenses, need to train and compete regularly and have to practice a lot together as a team. Inadequate financial support/sponsorship is one of the biggest challenges which these teams face. Corporate sponsors have only recently started engaging with Esports teams but most large corporate sponsors are still not active in this space. Since it is a nascent industry in India, there is a lack of infrastructure like formal training facilities, standardized policy framework, recognized career path from grassroots to international tournaments etc. A professional Esports player’s career path is also quite short as most professional e-sport players retire in their late twenties not giving us the luxury of time to make things happen.

During our time of covering Esports, we’ve seen its exponential growth in the American market. Things have only accelerated since the pandemic. How would you compare the Indian Esports industry to that of the US, in terms of growth, potential and marketability?

Already valued at INR 3 billion in FY2021, the industry is forecasted to reach INR 11 billion by FY2025, as per an EY Report, and is expected to grow at 46% CAGR over the next four years. A lot of International professional teams are noticing the potential and now looking to enter India. Currently, the Esports prize pool in India accounts for around 0.6% of the global prize pool and is expected to grow to INR 1 billion in the next 4 years which will still be only around 2% of the total. The Esports Industry in America is very well developed while we are at an early stage of development in India. At present, the American industry serves as a benchmark for the Indian Esports industry. One of our key focus areas is to work closely with our partners in America to use their best practices to help accelerate the growth in India.

What role do media organizations like EssentiallySports have in shaping up the future of the Indian Esports industry?

Popularizing the sport and educating people on the difference between casual gaming and Esports is the need of the hour. When credible media organizations such as yourself speak about Esports it allows the industry to gain legitimacy and create the right perception that Esports is a viable career option.

It seems like the world of Esports will grow at a more serious space with the entry of a major sports management agency like Cornerstone. Following an exclusive partnership with GodLike Esports, Cornerstone has major ambitions regarding the future of Indian Esports, and it sure seems like the company has already put a plan in motion to achieve it.

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