Hasta La Motion!

Though currently emerging, esports in India is witnessing levels of interest and excitement which is similar to other markets around the world. Today a huge millennial fanbase, coupled with the adequate streaming opportunities and improved internet bandwidth can be noticed and these are the favourable factors that are driving this growth. Last year professional esports teams grew 8x and professional esports players grew 4x in 2019 and there were more than 10 prominent esports game titles according to FICCI EY report.

But recently Covid 19 pandemic has made a huge difference in the market. The market depends on favourable factors but the outbreak has disrupted every business possible with a dip in FDI, and global lockdown. Surprisingly for the gaming and esports industry it was the time for them to rise by practicing a different approach to face the market.

What is that different approach?

Initially when the pandemic spread was increasing it affected the industry the same way as gaming and esports events were shutting down. That includes postponement of Game Developer Conference (GDC), suspension of LCS and LES events, Overwatch League’s cancellation for all matches in February and March and many more. The industry figured out that if the physical lockdown continues it will affect the global gaming and esports industry drastically. Acknowledging the idea that ‘the show must go on’, the industry took a different approach to deal with it- they all went completely digital. From conferences like GDC to esports events like Overwatch League all aimed to host digital events to proceed. This approach was aimed to keep the industry unaffected from the pandemic spread, unlike other industries.

LXG director, Esports and Broadcasting, Kiran Noojibail

In conversation with AnimationXpress LXG director, Esports and Broadcasting, Kiran Noojibail emphasized, “The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has changed up the game for most of the esports businesses. Certain large scale events requiring an offline presence, which includes participants, viewers, large production crew and so on, have been postponed. LAN events are also not possible until the lockdown concludes. Therefore the focus for all brands/tournament organisers has now shifted to engaging gamers purely online through smaller events and I see that being the case for at least the near future.”

Understanding the need of the hour where physical esports events are not possible “LXG is looking at providing ample opportunities for gamers to play online events while providing an excellent viewing experience to the esports audiences, from our home studios,” he added.

How phygital esports events were impacted?

On the other hand, NODWIN Gaming co-founder and MD Akshat Rathee said  offline events lined up for global TOs like ESL and Dreamhack and even for Nodwin gaming, things have been difficult for the big spectacle, finale event. The booked venue, flight, and vendor contracts had to be canceled because of the pandemic spread.

NODWIN Gaming co-founder and MD Akshat Rathee

“Since we haven’t started our India Premiership season as of now and the fact that the initial two months will be the online phase, I hope that we are still good to go with our schedule. Adequate manpower, expertise, and tech to take our production online and we can see the result in our current broadcasts! Post COVID, events will gather steam with a vengeance! We look forward to catching up on all the spectacular events that are currently postponed,” he added.

This definitely has affected the regular schedule of the esports season all around the world. On the brighter side, he believes  that the lockdown and social distancing has given rise to innovative ways to carry out a tournament remotely, like in ESL Pro League Season 11. As they have witnessed live player interviews on a video call and everyone can observe the reactions and excitement through their webcams while they all, at the comfort of their homes, have played through a major league. He found it quite fascinating and they are planning to incorporate such options in their leagues as well.

As per the current scenario, Nodwin Gaming is looking forward to “the PUBG MOBILE Pro League South Asia, lined up for us and then our own India Premiership kicks off! We are also looking forward to the kickoff of Dew Arena, The Taiwan Cup and others soon. Our first tournament in South Africa, the Umzansi Esports League will go live too. Tough but exciting times,” he added.

How esports organisations are dealing with it?

Unlike traditional sports, esports is not reliant solely on LAN tournaments and venues where players and fans need to be physically present. Since most tournaments/ events have postponed their dates or have shifted to an online platform, the organisations and the teams remain unaffected. Taking the example of Global esports is a professional esports organization which own teams have witnessed that “with the day to day, our work has actually increased and the entire esports and gaming industry has seen almost a 30 per cent increase. With more and more people being confined to their homes during lockdown there has been a sudden spike in the amount of time and resources spent on gaming,” said Global Esports founders Dr. Rushindra Sinha and Mohit Israney in conversation with AnimationXpress.

Global Esports founders Mohit Israney and Dr. Rushindra Sinha (from left to right)

They have closed down HQ and Bootcamps by mid of March before the lockdown orders came in, staff members have been strictly instructed to work from home and provided with necessary sanitary products, have been sent home safely where they can be with their families and continue practicing for tournaments. However, they said that they are “In constant communication with all the entire team across the globe. As gamers, we’re used to working online and have been operating remotely in various parts of the world since inception. Everything has been running smoothly so far. Being an esports organisation, we are used to such practice. As we joke around internally ‘What people are now calling social distancing is something gamers have been practicing all their life.’”

GE is preparing for all of the major tournaments which includes – PMPL for PUBG: Mobile, ESL India Premiership for CSGO,  including multiple tournaments coming in for India and their international teams are prepping for their local as well as online tournaments which will continue to run through the year regardless of the situation in the regions.

The post How COVID 19 is impacting the esports business in India? appeared first on AnimationXpress.

Ariel Costa debuts his new website under his moniker Blink My Brain and talks about what keeps him steady amid chaos.

After deferring its launch originally from 29 March, Star India, owned by Walt Disney, has announced the launch of Disney+ via Hotstar on 3 April.

The Indian OTT platform will be upgraded to Disney+Hotstar with a fresh new look, logo and an enhanced user interface. Earlier this month Hotstar rebranded its app with the Disney+Hotstar logo but withdrew it within 24 hours. Disney+ was supposed to debut in India in conjunction with IPL (Indian Premier League) which has been postponed due to COVID-19 lockdown. In fact, there’s no surety if the biggest sporting tournament will happen this year.

The Walt Disney Company APAC president and Star and Disney India chairman Uday Shankar said, “With the success of Hotstar, we ushered in a new era for premium video streaming in India. Today, as we unveil Disney+Hotstar, we take yet another momentous step in staying committed to our promise of delivering high-quality impactful stories for India that have not only entertained but also made a difference in people’s lives, a promise that is even more meaningful in challenging times such as this. We hope the power of Disney’s storytelling, delivered through Hotstar’s technology, will help our viewers find moments of comfort, happiness and inspiration during these difficult times.”

As people across the country practise social distancing and are home quarantined, Disney+Hotstar is set to offer an unparalleled video streaming experience providing unmatched content and entertainment.

Disney brands such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe were already hugely popular in India, with films such as Avengers: Endgame breaking records not just in the metros but across the country. Disney+ comes with content bundled from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. Besides films and TV shows, it offers original shows like space western The Mandalorian that is set in the Star Wars universe, documentary series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, among others.

Uday Shankar

In addition to that, Hotstar already has a library of recently released Bollywood blockbusters, exclusive Hotstar Specials shows, unlimited LIVE sporting action and much more. 

Shankar added, “The opportunity in the market hasn’t changed for us. IPL was the biggest reach driver to take the message (of the launch of Disney+) to every cricket lover. But there were too many developments then and we needed to reassess the situation. With all television production stopped and even newspapers not reaching many parts, there is a dearth of fresh and positive content and we have the world’s most exciting stories and brands with us.”

Starting 3 April, Disney+Hotstar will have three distinct offerings for customers – Disney+Hotstar VIP, Disney+Hotstar Premium and an ad-supported basic tier will be available. Shankar also mentioned the price change, the VIP plan will be available for Rs. 399 a year (which was Rs. 365 earlier) while the premium subscription will come for Rs. 1,499 (compared to Rs. 999 earlier). All existing subscribers will be automatically upgraded to their respective new subscription plan and will be charged the new rates upon renewal.

All Disney movies and shows will be localised by dubbing or adding subtitles in Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Other languages are also in the offing. Meanwhile, all Hotstar Specials, its Indian originals will be available across the globe too.

Subscribers will now get expanded access to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe and the best of superheroes movies like The Avengers, Iron Man, Thor Ragnarok, latest and biggest movies including The Lion King, Frozen II, Aladdin and Toy Story 4. 

Disney+ is entering India at an opportune time. While the COVID-19 outbreak has brought unprecedented change to lives across the country, video streaming and smartphone usage have surged as people stay indoors, work from home and look for ways to keep themselves engaged.

According to a report jointly brought out by television monitoring agency BARC and data and measurement firm Nielsen, time spent per user on smartphones in a week has risen by 6 per cent in the post-covid period while video streaming services have seen a 3 per cent rise.

A separate Disney+ branded section will help users navigate the wonderful Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic content available on the service. Subscribers will enjoy the benefits of unlimited downloads of all Disney+ movies and shows, as well as personalised recommendations. Additionally, parents can navigate through the kids-safe mode to access age-appropriate content.

As a prelude to the launch, Disney+Hotstar will host India’s largest virtual red carpet event on 2 April with the premiere of The Lion King (in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu) at 6 pm followed by the popular Disney+ original The Mandalorian at 8 pm. Helping build a virtual community and conversations in these times of physical and social distancing, users will be able to interact on the social feed on the platform, as these premieres are happening. They can chat with their friends and family, share photos and badges with them and the rest of India, and also interact with some of their favourite celebrities who will be at the red-carpet premiere event with them, all while staying safe at home.

The service competes with the likes of global players like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video besides local entities such as ZEE5 and ALTBalaji, VOOT, MX Player and many more.

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Many are under home quarantine due to the COVID-19 coronavirus upbreak, unsurprisingly, many people have turned to gaming to pass the time while they’re stuck at home.Taking the advantage of users’ gaming indulgences a handful of developers have marked their games as completely free for a limited time on Apple’s App Store.The collection includes :

Cat Quest: Cat Quest, RPGgame where users will be playing the role of a heroic cat in pursuit of the evil Drakoth for catnapping the player’s sister.Explore Felingard’s huge overworld map, risk life and limb delving into dungeons for epic loot, and lend a paw to a furry cast of characters in a flurry of side quests.

King’s League Odyssey, which combines classic RPG elements like party building and traditional questing with modern features like automatic battles and quick fire gameplay by Kurechii.The acclaimed Flash strategy hit game with over 8 Million players finally arrives on mobile, enhanced with premium content and HD graphics!Recruit and manage an army of over 40 unique classes including Lancers, Berserkers, and Dragoons to compete against other teams.

Holy Potatoes!We’re in Space?:For more strategy-based games, mobile users can also check out three of Daylight Studios’ Holy Potatoes! game series. is a wacky space exploration game where a player manages their very own spaceship, craft hundreds of weapons, and explore the vastness of a veggie-filled universe.Play as sisters Cassie and Fay as they scour dozens of planets in a dynamic universe for their beloved grandfather, Jiji! Follow them on their quest and experience an engaging and ever-changing storyline with a diverse cast of lovable, anthropomorphic vegetables, which include some familiar faces!

Holy Potatoes! A Spy Story?: Another one from Daylight Studios is a wacky spy-agency sim game where the player manage their very own spud spy headquarters! Recruit new spies, train and enhance their potato team, discover and build crazy gadgets, vehicles and facilities, and embark on top-secret missions!Play as twins Ren and Rexa, who set out on a journey to discover the truth behind their parents’ disappearance with the use of their spy skills. Outwit and outsmart security personnel, bust through the sturdiest of doors, and hack some of the most complicated security systems!The player will be the unseen hero in the shadows, using their intelligence, charm, stealth and strength to take on the enemy and fulfill their missions.

Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?: From Daylight Studios is a wacky simulation game where the player manage their very own weapon shop and expand its business across an incredible potato world. Use their potato smiths to forge weapons and sell them to questing heroes. They will meet more than 70 potato heroes, forge more than 200 weapons, expand their business into 20 wacky areas, manage 30 zany potato smiths, discover 10 legendary pop culture heroes  and even adopt a potato dog!

Earth Atlantis: Pixel Perfect Studio’s Earth Atlantis is another essential pick in the collection, bringing a submerging twist to a post-apocalyptic setting. In Earth Atlantis, a user play as a survivor with a submarine, venturing into the depths of the earth to fight countless bosses. As the user traverses through the sepia-tinted world, where the players unlock more ships and special abilities, inching closer and closer to becoming a legendary hunter.

Takoway: A perspective puzzle game that is tough on the outside but squishy on the inside. Follow Tako the hexapus in this perspective-based puzzler as she goes on a six-legged journey to escape captivity and find her place in the world. Alternate between perspectives while befriending eccentric sea creatures as they assist in maneuvering through bi zarre lab terrains.

She and The Light Bearer: From Toge Interactive is  a story rich puzzle adventure game where a player has to follow the journey of the little firefly to seek the mother deep inside the heart of the unknown forest! Though, this journey won’t be easy for such a bug. The little firefly has to earn the forest trust and prove their worth by solving riddles, challenges, and puzzles. Deeper into the forest, Our little firefly will learn the sacrifice of the forest, the horror of the Devourers, and the secret to awaken mother.

 SIMULACRA: From the Kaigan Games OÜ is an immersive narrative thriller using the interface of a mobile phone. Like all phones, the player have messages, emails, gallery and all kinds of apps to look through. With a strong focus on realism, the game’s characters are played by live actors and shot at real locations. Dive into Anna’s life as the player look at her private photos, go through her dating app or view her personal video logs.

 Lara Croft GO: From SQUARE ENIX is a turn-based puzzle-adventure set in a long-forgotten world. Explore the ruins of an ancient civilization, discover well-kept secrets and face deadly challenges as the player uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom.

Tiny Guardians: From Kurechii is an adventure game where a layer is Summoned unique guardians to defend Lunalie against various enemies as she journeys through Prism in search of her missing aunt, the Sorceress.Beware of wild beasts, eerie creatures, molten enemies and mysterious circus folk along player journey.With each unlocked class and enemy, expand the player collection of dazzling cards! Various updates and unit classes allow for diverse strategies, allowing a different experience on every try.

Dig Deep: By Noodlecake is an Intergalactic Mining Adventure where a player has to prepare for a wild adventure full of alien creatures, deathly traps and  lots of gold. Meet Roger, the most famous mustachioed, toupeed miner of the galaxy! Help him and his friends gather valuable gold on a dangerous mission into the endless abyss of an ancient planet.

Rolando: Royal Edition: From HandCircus is an award-winning iPhone classic is back and better than ever! This brand-new ‘Royal Edition’ is a completely remastered Rolando – every interaction, every course, flower, trampoline, bomb, catapult and squirrel has been given a thorough scrub, buff and shine, making this the most gorgeous version yet!The Kingdom has been invaded and the Rolandos are on a daring quest to save the sages from the clutches of the Shadow Creatures. Guide your intrepid gang of courageous Rolandos as they negotiate the toys, traps, puzzles and curious characters that fill this super-tactile world.

The post These 13 premium games are free at Apple’s App Store for this week appeared first on AnimationXpress.

IN10 Media, a network with myriad offerings in the media and entertainment sector, has announced its two-channel content partnership deal with ZEE5.

With this deal, ZEE5 will live stream IN10 Media’s infotainment channel EPIC TV, and a youth-centric, 24-hour music channel ShowBox.

With the integration of both these linear television channels on ZEE5 app, users now can watch quality content from EPIC TV’s diverse tales about India, as well as ShowBox’s original and innovative musical programmes anytime, anywhere.

Commenting on the deal, IN10 Media Syndication and Acquisition AVP Adita Jain said, “At IN10, our constant endeavour has been to make our unique bouquet of content available through various avenues and platforms for the users’ as per their preference. With an increasing number of people consuming content on-the-go, our association with ZEE5 reinforces our commitment of providing high-quality content with easy accessibility. Our vision is to truly utilise the digital space and continue to explore opportunities to expand our content offering nationally and globally.”

EPIC TV’s wide library of high-quality, India-centric content comprises of leading marquee shows like Regiment Diaries, Raja Rasoi Aur Andaaz Anokha, Indipedia, Umeed India and more. It is the only infotainment channel available on ZEE5, adding new flavours to the platform’s existing content library of 100+ originals, movies, news and its brand-new gamification.

ShowBox recently ranked the fourth most-watched musical channel in the country (as per BARC Week 10-11 2020 data), offering various shows like ‘YO! Wassup’, an interactive show wherein viewers can send their picture to be displayed on the channel along with a message; ‘Swag Star’, a fun interactive chat show with known and budding artists; ‘Super hits with Drama Queen Swati’ a compilation of super hit songs with famous Red FM RJ- Swati; ‘Music Box Office’, a weekly show reviewing latest musical videos, and albums.

“We believe in providing content across languages, genres and clusters, as we aspire to be the super-app of entertainment. The larger vision at ZEE5, is to be able to build a rich repository of varied content across genres that makes a ZEE5 an investment for an individual to enjoy content viewing anytime, anywhere,” added ZEE5 India business development and commercial head Manpreet Bumrah on the partnership deal. 

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