KOLKATA: Hungama Digital Media and movie and digital content production house Hindustan Talkies have made a strategic investment of up to $500,000 in e-sports platform Indian Gaming League (IGL). The funds will be utilised by IGL to acquire new users and develop new features to increase user engagement on the platform.

IGL will also use the funds to launch Indian Gaming League Championship Cup Season 1, a 45-day mega tournament that will allow users to compete in six stimulating games and win prizes. The tournament will culminate with Indian Gaming League Awards – a first-of-its-kind grand star-studded virtual awards night to recognise the winners of the championship. 

Hungama Digital Media founder and CEO Neeraj Roy said, “E-sports is one of the fastest growing segments in the gaming industry in India and is expected to become even more popular as smartphone usage continues to rise. We are excited to invest in Indian Gaming League to help the platform grow further and offer gamers in the country a unique competitive experience at a scale that hasn’t been seen before. At Hungama, our plan is to engage with over 10 million gamers in the next two years with our e-sports initiatives.”

Hindustan Talkies director Ashish Chowdhry remarked, “Today, the gaming industry is growing faster than the rest of the entertainment industry and shows no signs of slowing down. Additionally, India has the largest youth population in the world and with its ever-evolving broadband infrastructure and its affordability, we expect e-sports to soar further and create more uproar. For Hindustan Talkies, its association with e-sports allows it to foray into yet another exciting form of entertainment.”

Indian Gaming League CEO Yash Pariani added, “E-sports is still in its nascency in India. Having Hungama and Hindustan Talkies coming on board will help us reach a larger audience and scale e-sports to new heights. We’re excited to have their expertise and mentorship to guide us in the right direction and achieving our vision of making e-sports a household name.”

Launched in 2016, Indian Gaming League has grown its user base by over 3X in the last 12 months and has hosted over 3,000 gaming tournaments in 2020.