NODWIN Kicks Off ESL India Premiership 2018

, April 26th, 2018: NODWIN Gaming Private Limited (NODWIN), pioneers in esports in India (Source: Industry Insights for Online and Mobile Gaming in India by Frost & Sullivan dated January 20, 2018) and subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Limited (Nazara), today announced the launch of its third flagship esports tournament, OMEN by HP ESL India Premiership 2018. The tournament began earlier this month and promises esports action throughout the year with INR 1 crore prize pool ($155,000 USD*) and streamed live, daily on Facebook and YouTube.
NODWIN and ESL, aim to develop the esports ecosystem to enable competitive online & offline gaming, create localized leagues and cups and give massive boost to creation of world class esports athletes and players emerging from the Indian ecosystem.

Akshat Rathee, Founder & CEO of NODWIN says, “Since the very beginning, The ESL India Premiership has emphasised on the three facets of Quality, Legitimacy and Excellence. The championship provides an all-round experience for both gamers as well as the viewers. Also, we believe that 15% of the participants in the OMEN by HP ESL India Premiership 2018 will come from other countries! With a prize pool of 1 Crore (₹10 million), in 2018, we aim to provide a platform for our top teams to compete globally and we aim to break new records and locate newer outfits and talents from India.”

ESL hosts competitions around the globe to facilitate thousands of gaming competitions annually. Some of their more notable competitions include the following- ESL Play, ESL Pro League, ESL National Championship, and Intel Extreme Masters, the world’s longest-running global esports event series.

Ralf Reichert, CEO, ESL was quite elated and mentioned “We are incredibly proud to help foster the Indian esport community. Esport is the sport of the digital generation. We believe the ESL Indian championship is the stage to find the best athletes in India and a stepping stone for the global competitions.”

OMEN by HP resumes its journey for the second consecutive year as title sponsor of this tournament and this continued partnership exhibits HP’s unwavering support to the domestic competitive gaming scene. Also joining the journey, for the third consecutive year is the high-performance, gaming peripheral manufacturer, HyperX and the leading energy drink brand, Red Bull. ESL India Premiership 2018 also welcomes on board global processor giants, Intel.

Commenting on the partnership, Neelima Burra, Country Marketing Director, HP Inc. India said, “Esports is becoming popular among millennials who love gaming and our association with ESL has helped make OMEN by HP one of the top gaming brands in India. We are excited to take this partnership to the next level and we believe our recent launch of the OMEN X gaming range will provide gamers with an experience like never before. We intend to continue to bring key innovations to performance, design and customizability to give gamers a competitive edge.”

The OMEN by HP ESL India Premiership 2018 will include year-long tournaments for the games of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, DOTA 2 and Clash Royale. Inspired by its predecessors, OMEN by HP ESL India Premiership 2018 is continuing with the three season, open league format. But, there are a couple of minor changes to this structure. The Master League will now host 12 participants instead of the original 8. Similarly, the Challenger Cup will follow a double elimination format. Finally, the Starter Cup will be limited to 128 participants, chosen on a first-cum-first-serve basis.

“We are extremely glad to partner with ESL India Premiership for the third consecutive year since its inception. This association has helped us redefine professional gaming as a sport in India and we are happy to continue supporting the tournament with the HyperX peripherals. This, we believe, would give the pro gamers a right setup to play at their full potential,” said Mr. Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director, HyperX India. He added, “With our aim to build a healthy gaming ecosystem, we look forward to a successful and competitive tournament.”

OMEN by HP ESL India Premiership 2018 aims to provide bigger and better experience as it develops the Indian esports scene and provides gamers with an exciting year-long tournament. With a massive prize pool and a challenging format, the Premiership unleashes a new era in Indian esports. The Premiership also looks forward to identifying new talent and promising teams in the domestic and regional scene.