ESL and NODWIN Gaming announce US$64,000 ESL India Premiership

Local Indian esports industry to receive massive grassroots push from scene specialists

(Delhi, India): ESL, the world’s largest esports company, in association with NODWIN Gaming, India’s flagship esports organization, is set to present India’s first annual tournament series, the ESL India Premiership. The event will host six online cups and three mega LAN events throughout the year, while boasting a monumental prize pool of over US$64,000, which translates to more than INR 4.2 million in cash prizes.

The ESL India Premiership is the largest tournament series organized not just in India, but in the entire South Asian region. The tournament series will present gamers the opportunity to participate as a team or an individual in online cups and win cash prizes, whilst qualifying for LAN events classified as “Challengers” and “Masters” that are organized on a world class level. At each of the two Challengers, a total prize pool of over INR 17 Lacs will be up for grabs, with the year-ending Masters finale paying out close to 20 Lacs to the champions alone.

“ESL mission is to increase the popularity of esports across the globe. We are excited to help building up the esports community in India with Nodwin. The country’s diverse communities, along with the fact that India embraces technology like no other place, makes it a perfect candidate,” said Ralf Reichert, Managing Director of ESL. “We are very excited to get started with the ESL India Premiership, and I personally can’t wait to experience it live, as I’m sure the crowd will be fantastic. In the meantime, we will ensure that we can deliver a world-class experience – both online and offline – to the local and international fans, and hope this tournament series helps foster growth in the region.”

Akshat Rathee, Director and CEO of NODWIN Gaming, expressed, “Esports athletes are treated as celebrities worldwide and they earn millions of dollars every year by opting to embrace electronic sports as a career. This is unfortunately not yet the case in India. – But we hope to change this. The ESL India Premiership is the next big esports revolution in our country. We feel proud to state that our continuous efforts for the last three years have led to the establishment of such a fruitful brand for our community and for our country, and it’s only just getting started. Join us and play your way up to the top of the ESL India Premiership. Meet the stars and young talents. Action and excitement are guaranteed, it’s the biggest showdown in India to date.”

The ESL India Premiership will feature three of the top esports titles worldwide: Dota 2, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Hearthstone. It will also be the first esports championship in India to introduce the popular rhythm game series Just Dance, which is based on real time dancing. The online cups are set to start on 16th May, while the Challengers are set for the month of July and November, with the Masters in December. In addition to active participation, ESL has partnered with Twitch, the world’s leading social video platform and community for gamers, so that fans can enjoy the ESL India Premiership actions live every day from 7-10 PM IST on the Twitch Premiership Channel.

For more information about the ESL India Premiership, please visit the official website at pro.eslgaming.com/india. For any queries please write to us at [email protected].

ESL is the world's largest eSports company, leading the industry across various games with numerous online and offline competitions. It operates high profile, branded international and national leagues and tournaments such as the Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One, ESL Pro Series, StarCraft® II World Championship Series, as well as grassroots amateur cups, leagues and matchmaking systems. ESL covers a broad field of services in gaming technology, event management, advertising and TV production, fully catering to the needs of the eSports ecosystem. With offices in India, China, Philippines, Germany, France, Poland, Spain, North America and partners in many other countries, it has a truly global footprint.

NODWIN Gaming is the first company in India to offer complete solutions for companies operating in the gaming sector. The company aims to release the enormous untapped potential of the Indian gaming market by finding ways to properly develop and unify the community. Some of the notable events the company has been involved in are Games Arena, ESWC India and ESL One Cologne India Qualifier remembered by fans nationwide as some of the top events the country has witnessed in the recent past.