Playing fantasy or rummy or even Candy Crush is not esports: Lokesh Suji

From the shoes and jerseys they wear to the goggles they sport and the colas they have in their breaks, everything around an athlete is a branding opportunity these days. Lokesh Suji, Director at the Esports Federation of India, says there is equal opportunity when it comes to cyber athletes.

Esports comes with huge branding opportunities, he says. Suji says the segment is also giving birth to a whole new category of influencers who are taking the branding and marketing game of esports to an all new level. Edited excerpts:

Tell us a little about where we are at the moment in terms of adoption. How popular is esports in India, especially after the surge in traffic on the platforms in the last two years?

The surge in traffic is indeed very encouraging. Thanks to the stay-at-home crowd, during the various phases of lockdowns in the last two years, adoption of both gaming and esports has been very rapid. Since people couldn’t meet up with friends or family, they picked up new habits of communication and entertainment. And casual gaming and esports are an important part of that new habit.

What are the opportunities in the space for marketers?

The target audience of esports brings both the new-age brands as well as legacy brands to the space. There are multiple collaboration opportunities for brands. Firstly, there is an ad network which we do not prefer because we consider it a very intrusive form of advertising. During a game, there are panels and ads coming up selling something or the other. But there are other interesting opportunities in the space through which brands can interact with their TG (target group).

The easiest is to put together your own esports IP. Then there is team sponsorship and title sponsorships. Brands can also come on board as a partner or sponsor of an existing esports IP. Brands can always invest in development of the sport like it happens in any other sport formats. They can set up training centres wherein training can be given to esports players. The centres can be both online and offline. This is the kind of collaboration the country needs right now. There is no dearth of talent in the country but we definitely need upskilling so that our players perform well at both domestic- and international-level tournaments. Lastly, they can also come on board with the federation as a partner and be a part of all the activities the federation puts together to increase reach, access, popularity and engagement. Ad networks should however be the least preferred option.

How important is the role of content in driving growth in the segment? How are marketers using it?

Content is one of the most interesting aspects of esports today. Those that are creating content in the space are actually leading the segment and making more money than the ones who are just players. All thanks to the reach and engagement of this content. These creators are live streamers and a subset of these live streamers are influencers who earn revenues through sponsorships and brand engagement activities. They are all gamers who know how to keep their fans engaged and entertained while they are playing the game. There are basically entertainers in the esports space who have a live audience. Brands often work with these creators who advertise their console, mobile phones and other gaming equipment during the livestream.

The real growth begins when these creators start building a loyal fan base and a community, that’s when they become influencers.

It is difficult to ignore all the debates and discussions around regulation in the segment. Is that a deterrent for investors and advertisers?

The biggest deterrent here is the perception. There are card-based games, casual games, fantasy games and esports. The audience generally confuses the distinction between the categories and everything is together clubbed in as esports. If you are playing rummy or teen patti or even Candy Crush, it is not esports. Some would call esports as a game of skill. Unfortunately, all these misconceptions make it difficult for both the audience and the brands.

Esports is recognized as a sport world over, thanks to the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Olympic Committee. The definition should end there. The moment we confuse it with other formats of games, marketers who are new in the space confuse it with gambling, betting, etc. The world of online gaming is vague. Internationally, the other games are categorized under iGaming. We call it real money games in India. We should stick to these nomenclatures and not jumble everything up.

Moreover, The Public Gambling Act of 1867 is also very old. We need to revisit these and work on the perception issue. Till these are resolved there will always be a fear factor among investors who are new in the space.

We have seen a surge in traffic and we have also seen the growth in the number of businesses in the segment. What next? Where do you see the next phase of growth coming from?

Physical tournaments starting again is a huge boost and we see more and more IPs coming up every day. However, the next phase of growth will happen at the grassroots level where we will have representation from the remotest parts of India. We are already seeing players from very small towns come forward and we are hoping we will see more.

There is so much being said on NFTs and metaverse but these are not new for the esport ecosystem. However there is new tech being developed every day and the Indian startup economy is a huge booster for the esports industry because they are innovating every day in terms of tech and also bringing in the much needed investments in the space.

Note to readers: Storyboard18’s new Month In Focus initiative spotlights themes and topics that are pushing marketers to reshape and rethink how brands interact with today’s customers. Our first theme is Just Sports, a special spotlight on sports marketing presented by Sports18. We bring to you stories of how marketers are harnessing the power of technology, innovation and creativity in sports to create powerful storytelling in campaigns that increase affinity and loyalty with audiences. From traditional sports platforms around cricket to emerging games and the rise of esports, we get leading voices from the marketing and sports worlds to give us sharp and fast insights into future-facing marketing practices. Also, tune in for analyses which will surface ideas and strategies that are helping brands to level up experiences and storytelling with authentic collaborations. So watch this space for Just Sports.