Let’s face it, who doesn’t love gaming? The gaming sector, especially the e-sports vertical, has grown at an unprecedented rate as people have been confined to their homes for months – in fact, e-sports has become of the most preferred modes of entertainment. Now, this novel idea in the game of sports is coming to the big screens.
Yes, you read that right, cinema exhibition giant PVR and leading e-sports and gaming company NODWIN Gaming have entered into an alliance to roll out the very first In-Cinema E-sports live tournaments on the big screen. The first game to be involved in BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) – which is the India-exclusive version of PUBG – and the tournament will be held in Gurgaon, Indore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
Later on, games from different genres will be included. So you may soon see games like Clash Royale, Clash of Clans, or League of legends on the big screen. This is good news for gaming enthusiasts across the country, who will be able to participate in the online e-sports cups and in-cinema tournaments and win prizes. The prize pools will be different for each city.
You will be able to watch the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals of the tournament in each participating city live since they will be broadcast in select PVR cinemas as well as live-streamed on NODWIN Facebook and Youtube pages, PVR’s website and mobile app, and other platforms.
This development could not have come at a better time. The e-sports market has gained a lot of traction in recent times, and seeing e-sports on the big screen is likely to catapult the industry to new heights. Research has indicated that the market size of e-sports in India is expected to reach ₹1,100 crores by FY25 and generate an economic value of nearly ₹10,000 crores between FY21 and FY25.
Kamal Gianchandani, Chief of Strategy, PVR, said that about 1,000 gamers are expected to register for the NODWIN PVR Cup, and explained the three streams of revenue that will be generated. “There will be sponsorship opportunities and we will leverage on our relationship with brands. The second stream will be the ability to license streaming rights to multiple platforms or a single platform on an exclusive basis. The third revenue stream will be ticketing for gaming enthusiasts and supporters to be able to watch live e-sports on the big screen as gamers compete in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.”
The tickets will be priced at ₹150-200.
“At PVR, we strive to continually evolve as an entertainment destination, offering our customers the opportunity to have an entertaining escape into more than just big films. Our immersive environment lends itself particularly well to the gaming community, putting players in the universes in which they are competing. We are excited to bring big games to the big screen in collaboration with NODWIN Gaming”, said Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR Limited.
