19th January | ECONOMIC TIMES

MUMBAI: Ronnie Screwvala, the first generation media & entertainment entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of UTV Group, is set to launch an electronic sports (eSports) league in India. Named UCypher, the first of its kind tournament will see 10 teams taking part in PC, console and mobile games’ league.

Screwvala feels the time is right for the launch of eSports league in India and his company, USports, has earmarked Rs 80-100 crore to spend on the league. “eSports fits very ..

He said that eSports culture did not develop in India unlike countries like the US, Korea, Europe, etc., because earlier there was not enough bandwidth for PC gaming, while consoles’ pricing was prohibitive.

However, mobile, he says, has changed those dynamics and now with greater bandwidth, Indians are also getting increasingly involved in eSports.

Screwvala said that he is targeting May for the first season of UCypher, and every year, there will be 2 seasons. “We will have 10 teams of 12 players each. It will be a 45-day event in the first season and we are not selling the franchisees for the first year. We will establish this first,” he explained.