Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance allies with esports giant for…, will cater to 600 million…, to triple in size by …
New Delhi: Asia’a richest man Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd has announced that it would move into esports business by a joint venture with BLAST, a European tournament organizer. This joint venture will mark a tactical move into India’s fast-growing gaming sector.
BLAST Esports Ltd. is a unit of Denmark-based BLAST ApS.
RISE Worldwide Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance and BLAST Esports Ltd. announced the partnership aimed at milking India’s rapidly expanding base of more than 600 million gamers.
The new joint venture will develop, host, and promote esports competitions across India, capitalizing on BLAST’s production capabilities and Reliance’s digital infrastructure.
“India is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing gaming markets in the world. By partnering with Reliance, a market leader with unparalleled expertise and reach, we have a unique opportunity to elevate the local esports scene to new heights,” said Robbie Douek, chief executive of BLAST.
The name of the venture has not been disclosed yet. It will bring several of BLAST’s global tournament formats to India while developing new intellectual properties for domestic audiences. These events are expected to be streamed on Reliance’s gaming platform JioGames and will include end-to-end management of competitions, publisher engagement, sponsorship activation, and broadcast production.
BLAST is acknowledged for organizing large-scale esports events for titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six. It is presently working with game publishers, including Epic Games, Valve, Riot Games, KRAFTON, and Ubisoft.
Its events are forecast to generate over 2 billion views in 2025 and are broadcast in more than 30 languages across 150 countries.
Gaming industry in India is expected to nearly triple in size, from $3.8 billion in 2024 to $9.2 billion by 2029, according to estimates cited by the company. The government has officially recognized gaming as part of the “multi-sports event” category.
“We are excited to partner with BLAST, which is a leader in conducting world-class esports tournaments globally in partnership with the largest gaming publishers. With this joint venture, India esports will be able to realize its full potential,” said Devang Bhimjyani, head of Reliance Sports.
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