"Low-cost data plans and streaming platforms contributed towards growth of Indian esports": Rohit Jagasia, CEO of Revenant Esports

Many esports organizations contribute towards building a thriving gaming community in India, and Revenant Esports is one of them. The esports organization has two branches – one in India and the other in the US. The company is planning on opening a new branch in Australia and Oceania as well.

Revenant Esports currently have rosters for COD Mobile and BGMI, and is planning on creating new ones for Free Fire and Apex Legends Mobile. In conversation with Sportskeeda Esports’ Debolina Banerjee, Revenant Esports CEO Rohit Jagasia talked about the Indian esports scene, the company’s expansion plans, and more.

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Rohit Jagasia's take on the Indian esports scene, and Revenant Esports

Q. The esports scene in India has grown exponentially over the past two years. Do you feel that COVID-19 restrictions had a role to play in the tremendous boost to the gaming industry?

Rohit: Esports did see massive growth during the pandemic. However, I do not think that it is not the only factor that contributed to the growth of esports. India being the second largest smartphone market in the world, low-cost mobile data plans and various streaming platforms have also contributed extensively to the growth of the entire esports scene in the country. India has a young population, and as such, the affordability and accessibility of smartphones are also equally important to the sector’s growth.

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Q. Do you feel that India is still lagging behind countries like South Korea, USA, and Denmark when it comes to a robust esports scene? How do you think the situation could be improved?

Rohit: I think lagging behind is an unfair term to use as India is growing exponentially. Recently, I came across an article where I read about Japan coming up with their first ever esports school. I think the other countries you mentioned are currently a mature market in esports, and India will eventually get there.

Some of the countries you mentioned, like Denmark and South Korea, have already recognized esports as a sport and included it under their sporting framework and policies. Once the Indian government starts supporting the esports section, we will be able to outrun most of the other countries, not only in terms of media inventory but also in producing top-notch talent.

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Q. India has its fair share of esports organizations that have multiple rosters dedicated to various games. What sets Revenant Esports apart from the other esports organizations?

Rohit: At Revenant Esports, we focus on talent. We aim to be a holistic esports organization by keeping talent as the backbone of the organization. We are also coming up with a one-of-a-kind talent-first IP in order to discover, create and nurture budding gamers from India. We also want to try and make Revenant more of a lifestyle brand in the future. Now we have The Souled Store on board, who are helping us by contributing to our mission.

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Q. How did the creation of Revenant Esports come to be? What were the games that you targeted when you decided to come up with the company?

Rohit: Before the pandemic, I was working in our family's fabrication and infrastructure business. I had a lot of time on hand during the pandemic, and being a gamer myself, I thought of creating a couple of IPs around Call of Duty Mobile, and that is how we went about making Revenant.

Eventually, we started focusing on partnering with top-notch players and competed in various mobile games. We started off with Call of Duty Mobile as it was easier to get into its competitive scene compared to other mobile games.

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Q. Revenant Esports already has two branches – India and USA, and is planning to launch an upcoming branch in Australia. When can we expect the new branch to launch? What are the expectations from it?

A new branch in Australia is coming soon (Image via Revenant Esports)

Rohit: Australia, yet again, is still a very naive market for esports. We even had a couple of players from Oceania (OCE) in Revenant when we announced our global roster back in the day. The talent that we had signed from that region was spectacular.

Currently, our Call of Duty Mobile coach is also one of the most celebrated veteran players from the OCE region. We are already working with some talented players in Australia. The plan is to launch the OCE division as soon as we see the right opportunity with popular FPS titles like Valorant Mobile and Call of Duty, which are really famous in OCE.

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Q. Revenant Esports has two rosters dedicated to COD Mobile and BGMI. With both titles being famous in the battle royale genre, do you feel that this type of game dominates the Indian esports scene compared to other genres?

Rohit: Yes, the current battle royale format of games is dominating the Indian esports scenario. The competitive scene in India in COD Mobile is from the Multiplayer Game mode, which is a 5v5 format of the game, and that's how our roster is made up.

With that being said, I think in India, games like BGMI and Free Fire definitely have a larger audience and massive viewership. This is mainly because the title's publishers have been making extensive efforts to build a strong esports ecosystem in India. COD Mobile is a newer game compared to the major mobile titles. Once a stronger esports scene is created for COD Mobile, I’m pretty sure the game will do well in India.

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Q. Since BGIS 2021, the most anticipated Battlegrounds Mobile India tournament, is coming soon. How is Revenant Esports’s BGMI roster gearing up for it?

Rohit: BGIS 2021 is just around the corner. Apart from the Revenant roster, every Tier 1 BGMI Roster has been grinding a lot since the game was released. Just before the tournament started, our players took some time off and visited their families to get into a calmer and more composed state of mind. They are currently back at our facility in Mumbai and are ready to try their level best in the tournament.

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Q. The website of Revenant Esports teases that there are two more upcoming rosters. Can you give us a sneak peak of the games that these two rosters are targeting?

Rohit: We are talking to multiple rosters at this point in time, and would like to partner up with the right talent to venture into Free Fire. However, you might see Revenant signing competitive rosters for Apex Legends Mobile, Brawl Stars and other major mobile titles in the near future.

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Q. Revenant Esports recently signed a contract with Collective Artists Network. Can you tell us a bit more about the mission and vision behind this collaboration? How will it benefit the players?

Rohit: At Revenant Esports, we have been growing exponentially in the past couple of months. In order to join hands with the correct partnerships, sponsorships and collaboration opportunities, we wanted to be represented by the finest talent management agencies in the country.

Collective Artists Network will help accelerate our growth and take our mission to a new level. We felt it was integral to work with them since they are truly a future-focused organization and veterans in the entertainment space. We also aim to develop many more monetization opportunities and sponsorship prospects with Collective.

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Q. What is your message to budding gamers who want to become professional players in the future?

Rohit: I think following your passion absolutely makes sense, and becoming a professional gamer is a really viable career opportunity at the moment. However, I also think that it is important to not miss out on academics. One can pursue gaming and esports full-time once they have a good opportunity or offer on their plate, but in the meantime, education is equally important.