Airtel’s PUBG Partnership And The Unstoppable Rise Of eSports And Mobile Gaming

When it comes to discussing the biggest games in India at the moment, there is definitely one title that simply cannot be ignored. The mobile version of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds - or PUBG Mobile – has enjoyed massive success in the country across recent years, and is thought to have made significant money in the process.

Last summer, a report from Entrackr.com suggested that Tencent’s creation was generating in the region of $8 million every month across India, with around 23 to 30 million monthly active users as well. With fresh content regularly being added to keep gamers engaged, the chances are that it may have well maintained such levels of popularity this year too.

We are well aware of its success here at MobyGeek, which is why we have done our best to point you in the direction of the best smartphones to play it on and quality accessories like headphones which may help to boost your experience. The game’s huge success is also clearly not lost on other organizations either, with a major new partnership recently being announced.

Joining forces

Sites including IndiaTVNews have revealed how PUBG Mobile has now partnered with Bharti Airtel in relation to the PUBG Mobile Pro League that's taking place in South Asia.

The eSports tournament is running across June and will see a number of teams compete against each other for glory, with fans being able to watch the action via live streams provided through the Airtel Xstream app, and the PUBG Mobile eSports YouTube channel. In addition, Airtel has stated that its subscribers will get access to some other exclusive experiences although there was no further information on that front when the news was first revealed.

News of the partnership has come after Airtel also revealed it was joining forces with eSports company NODWIN Gaming. Under the deal, the pair have created the Airtel India eSports Tour, which is thought to be the first national ranking of eSports competitors in the region.

An industry on the up

The fact that Airtel has chosen to get involved in eSports in such a big way recently could be viewed as a sign of just how massive the concept has become in recent years. Video game-based competitions have a long history, but the industry has truly taken off in the past decade or so and is edging ever closer to the mainstream all over the world.

Tournaments are held in relation to a huge number of different games, with the level of prize money on offer in some reaching extraordinary heights. The Dota 2 competition The International is a good example of that, with the total prize pool for last year’s event reaching in the region of $34 million. Furthermore, according to estimates produced by Newzoo in April, the global eSports market is expected to generate revenues of around $1,059 million this year. This figure is also expected to reach $1,598 million by 2023.

With that in mind, it is perhaps not a huge surprise that Airtel is just one of many major organizations that have embraced the area in recent years. A host of well-known brands have also taken the step, with notable examples including soft drinks giant Coca-Cola. Many famous names including Drake are known to have invested in the industry too.

The dominance of mobile

However, the recent news on Airtel and PUBG does more than just put a spotlight on eSports – it highlights how dominant mobile gaming has become in recent years too.

Smartphones and tablets have become an essential part of our lives in so many ways throughout the past couple of decades. We reach for them when watching film and TV on platforms like Netflix while listening to music on streaming services such as Gaana is also very popular. Using them for everyday tasks like shopping and banking is also the norm while betting and gambling are increasingly accessible on these devices too. As Betway explains, it has created its services on an app and optimized mobile site to ensure people can access casino experiences however and whenever they want, without compromising on quality. Its offering includes mobile-friendly slots, as well as handheld versions of games like roulette.

However, if one pastime has really gone to a whole new level on mobile, it is video gaming. According to research published earlier this year, mobile games experienced 25 percent more spend than all other forms of gaming combined in 2019. Furthermore, it is expected to surpass more than $100 billion across all app stores this year. A host of famous characters who is more commonly associated with consoles have made the switch onto mobile in recent times, with the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog particularly finding a way to thrive in this seemingly ever-growing space.

A remarkable rise

When all of this is considered, it seems that there is truly only one direction that both eSports and the wider mobile gaming industry are going in at the moment.

Airtel’s decision to partner with PUBG Mobile is just the latest in a long line of examples which show that both eSports and handheld gaming have probably never been in a stronger position. The rise of both in the past decade or so has been remarkable to watch and it will be intriguing to see how they continue to perform – both in India and across the world – in the months to come.

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