KRAFTON India Builds the Future of Indian Esports Through Nationwide 128-College Campus Tour; Now in Its Second Year

PNN
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 27: As India's Esports ecosystem enters a high-growth phase, KRAFTON India is doubling down on grassroots development through its nationwide College Campus Tour, now in its second year. Spanning 128 colleges across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities, the initiative embeds structured Esports tournaments directly into college festivals - providing students a platform to compete in structured BGMI and Real Cricket tournaments, transforming casual gameplay into authentic competitive Esports experience.

The First edition engaged 50,000+ students, creating India's largest college-level Esports pipeline.
The initiative strengthens structured grassroots pathways for competitive opportunities in BGMI and Real Cricket, as India's Esports ecosystem continues to scale rapidly.
Rising viewership, participation, and prize pools are unlocking real career opportunities for young talent.
The first edition of the Campus Tour engaged over 50,000 students, signalling strong on-ground demand for structured competitive platforms within college ecosystems. What began as a pilot on select campuses has now scaled into a national programme, reflecting the growing role of educational institutions as launchpads for Esports participation, community building, and early competitive exposure.
Esports in India: From Niche to Mainstream Opportunity
India's Esports landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift - from fragmented competitive formats to a mainstream digital ecosystem that is creating opportunities across players, creators, organisers, and brands. Industry research indicates that the Indian Esports market is projected to exceed ₹1,100 crore in revenue by 2025, nearly a four-fold increase over recent years. This growth is being driven by rising participation, sponsorship, broadcasting, and monetisation avenues.
At the grassroots level, the competitive base is expanding rapidly, with the number of active players expected to reach 1.5 million and organised teams projected to cross 250,000 in the same period. This surge underscores the need for early-stage structure - an area where college campuses are increasingly emerging as critical talent incubators
Building Structure, Not Just Participation
KRAFTON India's Campus Tour is designed to go beyond casual competition. The programme integrates professionally structured Esports tournaments into annual college fests, executed in collaboration with experienced tournament organisers. While colleges drive on-ground participation, KRAFTON India supports the ecosystem through standardised competitive formats, prize pools, and oversight, ensuring consistency and credibility across regions.
Crucially, the Campus Tour introduces clear progression pathways. Top-performing student teams advance from campus-level tournaments to zonal stages, with the Top 16 teams earning invitations to higher-level qualifiers within KRAFTON India's broader Esports ecosystem. For many participants, this represents their first step from informal gaming into organised competitive play with long-term potential.

Momentum Driven by Student Demand
The scale of the Campus Tour has been shaped by strong institutional and student response. Initially planned across 64 colleges, the programme expanded to 85 colleges in its earlier phase following sustained demand, marking nearly a 32 per cent increase over the original plan. The current expansion to 128 colleges reflects both rising awareness and a growing appetite for structured Esports opportunities across regions.
Commenting on the initiative, Karan Pathak, Associate Director - Esports, KRAFTON India, said: "India's Esports growth will be defined by how early we create access and structure for young talent. College campuses are where aspiration, competition, and community intersect. Through the Campus Tour, our focus is on building credible pathways - not just for participation, but for progression. By integrating Esports into campus ecosystems at scale, we're helping shape the foundation of India's next generation of competitive players."
Reinforcing Esports as a Mainstream Student Pathway
As Esports continues its transition into a recognised career and participation avenue in India, initiatives like the Campus Tour highlight the expanding role of campuses in shaping the ecosystem's next phase. By embedding competitive gaming into student life nationwide, KRAFTON India is reinforcing Esports as a mainstream, youth-driven pursuit grounded in access, structure, and opportunity.
About KRAFTON, Inc.
Headquartered in Korea, KRAFTON, Inc. is dedicated to discovering and publishing captivating games that offer fun and unique experiences. Established in 2007, KRAFTON is built on a global network of 19 creative studios that include PUBG STUDIOS, Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montreal Studio, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, 5minlab, Dreamotion, ReLU Games, Flyway Games, Tango Gameworks, inZOI Studio, JOFSOFT, Eleventh Hour Games, OmniCraft Labs, Olivetree Games, Loonshot Games, and 9B STUDIO. Each independent studio strives to continuously take on new challenges and leverage innovative technologies. Their goal is to win over more fans by broadening KRAFTON's platforms and services.
KRAFTON is responsible for premier game IPs, including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG MOBILE, PUBG: BLINDSPOT, inZOI, Subnautica, MIMESIS, Hi-Fi Rush, Dinkum, TERA, My Little Puppy, and more. With a passionate and driven team across the globe, KRAFTON is a tech-forward company with world-class development capabilities, continuously exploring new possibilities that enhance the gameplay experience -- including AI and other emerging technologies. For more information, visit www.krafton.com.
About KRAFTON India
In India, KRAFTON is responsible for premier mobile games, including BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI), which has surpassed 250 million downloads, Bullet Echo India, Road To Valor: Empires, and CookieRun India, among others. Committed to enhancing the start-up ecosystem in India, KRAFTON has invested over $200 million in several Indian startups across interactive entertainment, gaming, Esports, and technology, since 2021. KRAFTON actively supports India's game development ecosystem through its KRAFTON India Gaming Incubator (KIGI) while strengthening the Esports ecosystem with flagship events like the BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA SERIES (BGIS) and BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA PRO SERIES (BMPS). For more information, visit https://krafton.in/
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