Indian Esports organisation Marcos Gaming has raised an undisclosed sum in pre-seed funding as it seeks to build up the region’s Esports community, with aspirations of becoming a leader within it.

The funding was led by India Accelerator and Finvolve, with further investment coming from SucSEED Ventures.

Sporting funds

Content creation, IP development and gaming community growth are among Marcos Gaming’s intentions for the funds, taking a broader view of Esports across multiple titles and forms of entertainment. This will also include collaborations with gaming influencers.

Among the games in Marcos’ current purview are Supercell’s Clash of Clans, Valve’s Counter-Strike 2, and Krafton’s Battlegrounds Mobile India.

"India’s Esports and entertainment system is extremely fragmented. The growth of Esports in India has been exponential, with StarSports and Jio entering the ecosystem. We believe Esports will be the next big thing after Cricket in India. The Indian government has been looking at Esports and entertainment, and various state authorities have already started working on developing Esports," said Marcos Gaming co-founder Sudhir Kuria.

Commenting on the investment, India Accelerator co-founder and COO Abhay Chawla stated: "We are thrilled to announce the culmination of a strategic partnership as India Accelerator and Finvolve successfully close the investment round for Marcos Gaming. India Accelerator’s commitment to fostering innovation aligns seamlessly with Finvolve’s vision for transformative investments.

"Marcos Gaming, with its promising trajectory, embodies the kind of forward-thinking ventures we are eager to support. Our joint investment underscores our confidence in the team’s capabilities and the potential for Marcos Gaming to emerge as a trailblazer in the gaming sector."

Of course, Esports can be big business for the players as well as the gaming companies. In December, Chinese esports team Wolves won a prize of $400,000 in the Call of Duty Mobile World Championship.