BW Gaming World
BW Gaming World had the opportunity to interact with Yashashvi Takallapalli, Vice President and General Manager, Nostra and talk about a few important topics that concern India’s esports industry at the moment. This is how it went.
The Indian esports industry is set to grow by 250 per cent in the next five years, as per recent media report. What do you think is contributing to this growth?
It’s an exciting time for the esports industry in India, as experts are predicting a whopping 250 per cent growth over the next five years. This growth is due to several factors. Firstly, there has been a significant rise in the number of online gamers in India thanks to increased internet and smartphone penetration, leading to a larger audience for esports events and tournaments. Secondly, this year, the Indian government has recognized esports as an official sport which has led to the emergence of professional esports teams across the country and is resulting in the industry’s popularity and growth. Lastly, there is now a deeper interest from investors, resulting in a significant increase in investments in gaming start-ups, esports teams, and tournaments.
Additionally, new game-changing platforms like Nostra from Glance are now emerging, which not only act as streaming platforms but are bringing together all stakeholders and support all the above factors. Nostra is enabling the inclusion and education of esports athletes, bringing some of the world’s top esports tournaments on the lock screens of more than 230 million Indians, and creating best-in-class IPs that give opportunities to grassroots and professional players alike. All these factors combined are paving the way for explosive growth in the esports industry in India.
What role is Nostra playing in the esports ecosystem in India? Also, which are some of the major esports tournaments that you intend to stream on Nostra this year?
Nostra is a mobile gaming platform from Glance, a consumer technology company that has revolutionized the way content is experienced on the lock screens of Android smartphones. Nostra’s vision is to develop a single destination for gaming globally with a wide array of experiences for every gamer, who can discover, play and watch games, and connect and compete with fellow gamers, all on their ‘smart’ lock screens.
Since its inception, Nostra has played a crucial role in fuelling the esports ecosystem in India. In fact, with over 25 million live monthly active users, esports and live streaming are the platform’s fastest-growing vertical now. To continue accelerating esports growth in the country and creating a solid line-up of professional athletes to represent India globally, we have a three-pronged approach.
Firstly, we have more than 50 live streams across 20 games, daily. This year, to double down on expanding the game streaming with more daily streams, tournaments, and partnerships with leading esports organisers. Secondly, we bring forth top-tier global esports tournaments on the lock screen. In the first few months of 2023 alone, we had more than 15 major esports tournaments from games such as Valorant, Free Fire Max, Pokemon, CS:GO and FIFA amongst others. We are also bringing LIVE to our users, the ILG Cup Season 4 LAN event every weekend up till February 2024.
Thirdly, this year, we have created several IPs and tournaments that provide a single platform for grassroots and professional players alike to hone their skills. Nostra Gaming Week is our exclusive monthly IP, providing an opportunity for amateur players to compete with India’s best teams and players, helping to hone their skillsets, discover new talent, and build a solid esports community. Glance College Battleground is an inter-college tournament that promotes esports at the grassroots level and encourages young players to take up competitive gaming. Jung-e-Glance is an invitational-only tournament where India’s top teams and creators fight for the winning title.
Overall, Nostra is providing a platform for players, content creators, and fans to engage with each other and promote esports as a mainstream entertainment option. Our holistic approach ensures that the esports industry in India continues to grow, and we create a pool of talented professional players to represent the country on the global stage.
How many streamers are on the platform currently? Please share insights on Nostra streamers and plans ahead
Nostra currently has 35 active streamers, with a gender split of 50-50%, providing a diverse and inclusive viewing experience for its audience. In 2023, we intend to double our streamers, and onboard at least 50 more on our platform. We will also be onboarding several international popular game streamers who will showcase their skills to Nostra’s Indian audience. Also, we are targeting to stream majority of the esports tournaments that will happen in India, on Nostra.
We also are piloting a LIVE SDK with a few select game developers who can essentially plug this SDK into their game allowing their users to LIVE stream in-game content across multiple platforms. This allows game developers to increase user time spent playing/watching the game and consequently earn more money and at the same time also educate their users about game situations and build a loyal community.
How is Nostra addressing the emerging demand of esports in the country?
Nostra’s contribution towards the growth of Indian esports industry is multifaceted. This involves amplifying content, both home-grown and global, organising marquee tournaments and creating a sustainable ecosystem for players and teams to compete and build a career in the gaming industry.
With the unique power of Lock Screen, Nostra is providing a platform for players and streamers to showcase their content to millions of viewers, helping increase visibility and inspiring young people to take up gaming as a professional career. As we livestream tournaments every day at a large-scale, this is creating opportunities to attract sponsors and investors, directly enabling players and teams to compete at a professional level.
Finally, our unique IPs such as Nostra Gaming Week, Jung-e-Glance and Glance College Battlegrounds, are the only platforms in the country today, that give opportunities to grassroots players and professionals to play together, discover and hone their skills, and build a career in this growing industry.
For Nostra Gaming Week, we have witnessed an increased registration of amateur participants from 1,700 to 4,100 between season 1 and 2. Similarly, for Glance College Battlegrounds, in the first season alone, we had around 150 colleges that participated. This is a testimony to the interest and potential in our country.
In a nutshell, our efforts are in line with promoting esports as a mainstream entertainment option in India.
Please elaborate on Nostra’s esports ambitions for the future?
As we move forward, Nostra’s vision is to become the go-to destination for everything esports in India, a platform that provides a seamless experience for game publishers, tournaments organizers, brands, and viewers. Our goal is to create a sustainable and comprehensive esports ecosystem in India that can support the industry’s growth for the long term.
In the near future, India is set to take part in the AIMAG 2025, Olympics Esports Week, and the Asian Games 2023 (Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games). In your opinion, what are the areas that we should be focusing on in order to showcase our best at these events?
It is undoubtedly an exciting time for esports in India, with the opportunity to showcase the best of Indian esports on the global stage at events like AIMAG 2025, Olympics Esports Week, and Asian Games 2023. To ensure success, the focus should be on enhancing the skills and competitiveness of Indian esports players. This can be achieved through increasing the quantity and quality of esports competitions in India, giving players more opportunities to compete against each other and against international players.
To make this happen, all stakeholders in the esports industry must come together to provide players with access to quality coaching, training, and support. It’s crucial to develop a strong grassroots esports scene in India, giving players opportunities to gain experience and improve their rankings. By investing in the development of Indian esports players, we can build a strong foundation for the future of esports in the country and ensure that India becomes a major player on the global esports stage.
For any sport, it is important to nurture and support new talent. How is India nurturing its talent pool of esports athletes?
Some of the critical steps that the country must take to seize the esports potential are –
1. Investing in infrastructure: India needs to invest in building world-class gaming facilities, training centres and providing players with access to the latest gaming technology to compete at the highest level.
2. Providing quality coaching and training: Partnerships with established international esports organizations can provide Indian players with exposure to international talent, opportunities to learn from the best, and access to global competitions.
3. Promoting esports education: India must promote esports education in schools and universities, which will help develop the next generation of esports players, coaches, and administrators.
4. Creating more esports events and leagues: More esports events, leagues, and tournaments need to be organized at the regional, national, and international levels, providing players at all levels of expertise with opportunities to showcase their skills, gain experience, and improve their rankings.
5. Encouraging sponsorship and advertising: The esports industry is gaining traction in India, and with the right promotion and awareness, it can become a lucrative investment opportunity for brands and advertisers. Encouraging sponsorship and advertising in esports will help to create a more sustainable ecosystem.
