Rise Worldwide and Blast partner to boost India’s esports scene

Reliance Industries subsidiary Rise Worldwide and Blast Esports have partnered to supercharge the esports scene in India.

As reported by Economic Times, the joint venture will lead to new games, teams, sponsors, and investments in both online and offline tournaments, with prize pools reaching up to ₹2.5 crore ($300,000).

The partnership is poised to shake up India’s fast-growing esports scene, challenging dominant players like Krafton, Nazara-owned Nodwin Gaming, and Skyesports.

“An urgent makeover" 

“The Indian gaming industry is currently over-dependent on two to three titles to drive economics, and needs an urgent makeover,” said Alpha Zegus founder and director Rohit Agarwal. 

“With Blast, that does seem highly likely. If all goes well, we will have new titles, new teams, new representation, new jobs, new sponsors and a massive international boost."

A study by venture capital firm Lumikai showed that India's professional esports industry was valued at nearly $40m in FY23, with projections suggesting it could grow to $100m by FY28.

In 2024, total prize money disbursed across online and offline esports tournaments in India reached a record $4.2m.