Esports in India to become ₹1,100 cr industry by FY25: FEAI

The esports industry in India is set for a rapid growth in the country with the size of industry touching a total of ₹1,100 crore over next three years by FY25, the Federation of Electronic Sports Associations of India (FEAI) said on Friday.

FEAI, which a body for esports in the country, will soon launch a policy paper that will outline the framework for development of esports in India and provide a roadmap for formalisation of this segment. The apex esports body has chapters in 26 Indian states and tie ups with international esports bodies such as British Esports Association.

According to FEAI, the growth in the esports ecosystem will come on the back of cricket as more and more companies are focusing towards developing the electronic version of the game.

“Cricket presents a massive opportunity for growth of Esports in Commonwealth Nations. We are working closely with international bodies such as the British esports Association. The fillip that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided to the animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector will start delivering results soon,” said Vaibhav Dange, founding President, FEAI.

“We want India to develop its own e-gaming ecosystem and compete at global tournaments with the best of the world,” he added.

The upcoming policy paper of FEAI will define the future of esports in India, Dange said that it is recommending strong policy intervention, anchored by the Government of India, towards formalization of this sector as well as the promotion of animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) at both the national and state level.

"We will facilitate a policy-controlled outlook to address the talent development ecosystem that encompasses the spectrum of skill-sets, businesses, job-creation, education and revenue generation for the entire country," he added.

FEAI, in partnership with JetSynthesys, is organising the largest cricket e-gaming championship.

NITI Aayog in its Draft for Discussion on 'Guiding Principles for the Uniform National Level Regulation of Online Fantasy Sports Platform in India', has noted that the fantasy sports industry has the potential to attract foreign direct investment.

Taking note of the promising prospects of the online gaming sector, the Union Budget, 2022 has proposed setting up a task force for the promotion of animation, visual effects, gaming and comics ("AVGC") sector. The task force is likely to elevate the AVGC sector in India to its full potential, besides building domestic capacity for serving the markets, generating employment amongst the youth and attracting foreign investments.