Here is GamesAdda’s exclusive talk with House of Gaming. We got a chance to learn more about the company’s journey and valuable insights into Indian Esports Industry and how HOG aims to make its space in the competitive arena.
Please tell us about the House of Gaming journey so far?
House of Gaming was founded in 2019 and is a next-generation technology firm dedicated to developing esports in India through its three verticals, Indian Gaming League, Hefty Games, and GameGods. We have recently collaborated with the blockchain giant Polygon to introduce gaming NFTs via Hefty Games. Following the recent announcement of Hefty Art bringing MF Husain’s paintings into the metaverse, the collaboration with Polygon and eDAO, helps to bring gaming enthusiasts closer to industry titans such as Hindustan Talkies, the media conglomerate, and Hungama, one of South Asia’s largest digital media entertainment companies. We have also leveraged our partnership with renowned eSport athletes such as Lokesh Gamer, Gyan Gaming, Two Side Gamers, AS Gaming, and Team Orangutan Elite for expanding the blockchain gaming universe. Creating a whole new awareness, we plan to release trading cards that will allow gamers to own collectibles from their favorite gamer.
How do you see the Indian Esports industry? Please talk about the major developments in the Indian Esports industry in 2022.
With more recognition, massive incentives, and expanding popularity, esports has great potential. It predicts that the number of online gaming users in India will increase from 481 million in 2022 to over 657 million by 2025. The landscape of the Indian Esports scene has evolved dramatically in recent years. The year 2022 was the most exciting year for gamers and Esports fans worldwide. With the growing popularity of Esports, the world witnessed the first-ever Commonwealth Esports Championship. The Indian DOTA 2 team won a bronze medal for their outstanding performance. Keeping the momentum going, India is preparing for the Asian Games, which will feature Esports as a recognized medal event.
The major developments in the Indian Esports industry in 2022 are:
- India officially recognized esports as a multi-sport event on 23rd December 2022.
- e-KYC announced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
- Increased GST from 18 percent to 28 percent GST on the gross gaming revenue.
How is HOG planning to bring revolution in 2023 in the Esports industry?
In 2023, House of Gaming will launch 2 platforms, namely, GameGods & Hefty Games.
GaneGods is India’s first web3-enabled social media platform curated exclusively for gaming enthusiasts. The underlying aim of the platform is to connect the players to other like-minded individuals to form teams, create communities, host tournaments & showcase their skills by sharing their gaming content.
Hefty Games is the first NFT marketplace for gamers. The audience can purchase the NFTs of their favorite gaming superstars which enable the buyers to connect & interact with their idols in real life. House of Gaming has collaborated with multiple web3 game developers to host exclusive events for these next-gen games.
Please talk about your roadmap for Indian Esports in the coming years.
As the sector continues to grow at a rapid pace, bringing with it a whole new season of esports, the Indian organizers are more than ready to deliver multiple top-tier tournaments for various established and upcoming titles.
Please talk about the HOG contributions towards the growth of the Esports industry.
- HOG caters to the growth & development of the Indian gaming industry through its 3 verticals, IGL, GameGods & Hefty Games.
- IGL provides a platform for aspiring gamers to showcase their skills against professional teams along with a decent monetary compensation in the form of a prize pool.
- IGL hosts exclusive Tier 1 events with massive prize pools involving the biggest esports teams in India. The prize money serves as an incentive for the players.
- All the events hosted are broadcasted on IGL’s YouTube channel for esports enthusiasts to watch their favorite superstars perform.
- GameGods is India’s first web3 social media platform exclusively curated for gaming enthusiasts. The underlying aim of this platform is to connect gamers with other like-minded individuals to form teams & build communities.
- To summarize, House of Gaming panders to all the segments of the gaming community from aspiring to professional gamers along with viewers who enjoy esports.