Mumbai: Skyesports, a premier global IP builder for gaming and esports, has unveiled its 2025 esports roadmap for the game, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2). As a part of this, the Chennai-based esports company has announced four international CS2 events, all set to take place in India with teams worldwide and a cumulative prize pool of Rs 14.68 Crore ($1.75 million). This prize pool and roadmap marks one of the most significant investments by Skyesports to date and aligns with the company’s vision of building globally recognised esports IPs from India.
Commenting on the announcement, Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy said, “Our vision since inception in 2018 was to create indigenous IPs and bring international players and teams to India. The 2025 CS2 esports roadmap is a testament to that as we will be hosting all four events in India, with global teams participating. These tournaments will not only strengthen Skyesports’ position as a global esports brand but also showcase India as a crucial market for world-class international esports events.”
The schedule, tournament names, and individual prize pool for these four CS2 tournaments are as follows:
● Skyesports Souvenir 2025: Feb. 17 to 23, 2025 ($250,000 - Rs 2.09 Crore)
● Skyesports Masters 2025: May 26 to June 1, 2025 ($500,000 - Rs 4.12 Crore)
● Skyesports Championship 2025: Sept. 15 to 21, 2025 ($500,000 - Rs 4.12 Crore)
● Skyesports World Tour 2025: Nov. 10 to 16, 2025 ($500,000 - Rs 4.12 Crore)
Additionally, the Skyesports Masters 2025, the Skyesports Championship 2025, and the Skyesports World Tour 2025 qualify as Tier 1 events for their substantial prize pool and calibre of participating teams, per the tournament guidelines by Valve, the developer of CS2. These events will mark the first time India will play host to Tier 1 events for the game with global and world-class esports organizations participating. All of the events will see 8 teams travelling to India to compete for the title and the lion’s share of the prize pool.
The three Tier 1 events will also feature Open Qualifiers to touch grassroots esports athletes across India, Europe, North and South America and the Rest of Asia. With India having a separate Open Qualifier, Skyesports will be able to ensure Indian participation in these events, giving a chance to emerging esports athletes from the country to compete against the best of the world.
Skyesports head of PC esports Sudarshan S added, “Being an India-based esports company, we are able to ensure that local esports players are given a platform to showcase their skills and compete in the biggest CS2 events of the world. Additionally, we believe in the power of grassroots and that’s why we will be hosting open qualifiers across different regions globally.”
The global esports market is on a rapid rise, expected to be valued at $7.5 Billion by 2030, growing from $2.1 Billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 21.5 per cent, per Verified Market Research. As such, Skyesports’ roadmap comes at a crucial juncture to position India as a global player in esports. Additionally, India had 453.9 million gamers in 2023, a number projected to rise to 730.7 million by 2028, per Niko Partners, making the country one of the fastest-growing gaming markets globally.
