Gaming
Skyesports brings international esports action to India with $200,000 Skyesports Championship 2024
Mumbai: Skyesports, a premier global IP builder for gaming and esports, has announced the return of its longest-running esports IP, the Skyesports Championship, for its sixth edition in 2024. The Skyesports Championship 2024 Counter-Strike 2 esports tournament will feature a prize pool of $200,000, with teams from around the world travelling to India to compete for the title from July 23 to 28.
India’s gaming market has rapidly grown to USD 3.1 billion in FY 2023, per a report by Statista. At a CAGR of 20 per cent, the gaming industry is among the fastest-growing segments in India’s media and entertainment industry and will be worth over USD 7.5 billion by FY 2028.
Commenting on the exciting competition, Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy said, “At Skyesports, we are leveraging the rapid growth of gaming to build globally recognized esports IPs from India. The Skyesports Championship 2024 exemplifies this effort as we bring the top international esports teams from around the globe for an on-ground event. The tournament will be broadcast for global audiences right here from India. This will not only empower local esports and gaming audiences but also bring international attention to the scene, further fueling local growth and investments.”
So far, five of the eight teams have been confirmed for the Skyesports Championship 2024. This includes Aurora Gaming from Serbia, The Mongolz from Mongolia, BetBoom from Russia, Eternal Fire from Turkey, and Brazil’s Furia Esports.
Additionally, one local team who will win the upcoming Skyesports Championship 2024 Counter-Strike 2 India Qualifier will get the chance to compete against the best of the world as the home team in the on-ground finale.
Serbia’s Aurora Gaming won the Skyesports Grand Slam 2024 in Pune
The Skyesports Championship 2024, with a prize pool of $200,000, is the third tournament in Skyesports’ Counter-Strike 2 esports roadmap. Earlier, the company successfully executed the Skyesports Grand Slam 2024 in Pune, India with a $50,000 prize pool and the Skyesports Masters 2024, which had a staggering $350,000 on the line.
Skyesports project manager Sudarshan S commented, “India’s esports audience is rapidly growing and extremely passionate, yet we have seen limited international events on our home turf. At Skyesports, we are committed to changing this by not only bringing premier global tournaments to India but also ensuring significant local participation. Our goal is to foster a thriving and sustainable esports ecosystem that elevates the entire scene.”
Sachin Tendulkar at the Skyesports Championship 2021 Award Ceremony in Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
The Skyesports Championship is a multi-game esports IP launched in 2018 as a regional tournament in Chennai, India. Since then, the tournament has become one of the most recognized esports competitions with global participation. The IP has produced some iconic moments for Indian esports, starting with a 221,000 peak concurrent viewership in the 2021 edition. Additionally, the winners of the 2021 edition were felicitated in a grand award ceremony in Mumbai, India by cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Gaming
IICT signs three MoUs to boost AVGC-XR and esports
Partnerships with Zenfluencers, Yologram and Eruditio at Chennai Gaming Show 2026 strengthen education, XR innovation and nationwide talent outreach.
MUMBAI: IICT has just levelled up the game in a big way. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies signed three strategic Memorandums of Understanding on 17 April 2026 at the CII Summit FX – India Gaming Show in Chennai, forging alliances with The Zenfluencers, Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. and Eruditio Consultants to accelerate India’s AVGC-XR ecosystem.
The tie-ups combine IICT’s strengths in education, skilling and research with specialist expertise across esports, immersive technologies and large-scale outreach.
- With The Zenfluencers, IICT will roll out globally benchmarked esports programmes, including joint certification courses, industry workshops, tournaments and masterclasses, creating clear career pathways across the full esports value chain.
- The partnership with Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. focuses on gaming, immersive storytelling and extended reality (XR), delivering industry-aligned curriculum, faculty mentorship, student showcases and collaborative research in immersive AI and virtual production.
- Collaboration with Eruditio Consultants targets awareness, accessibility and career alignment, with nationwide counsellor training, institutional engagement and structured guidance frameworks to reach students beyond Tier-1 cities.
IICT CEO Vishwas Deoskar said, “As the AVGC-XR sector evolves at a rapid pace, strong collaborations between industry and academia are essential. These partnerships will create meaningful impact across education, innovation and outreach.”
Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. founder Aditya Mani added, “AI-driven creator worlds are transforming games into engines of culture, commerce and careers. Together we aim to empower a generation to build immersive futures.”
Eruditio Consultants founder Indrajit Ghosh noted, “This is not just about awareness, it is about building a structured ecosystem that connects aspiration with opportunity.”
The Zenfluencers CEO Atharva Gupta said, “This MoU is a big unlock moment for the esports ecosystem in India. We’re building a structured pipeline for talent across the full stack.”
By bringing together academia, industry leaders and ecosystem players, IICT is creating scalable models that blend cutting-edge skills with real-world relevance. In a sector racing toward the future, these three partnerships ensure India’s next generation of creative technologists won’t just keep up, they’ll set the pace.
