HyperX to sponsor Entity Gaming: What does this mean for the industry?

Entity Gaming has announced that HyperX will be sponsoring them monetarily. 

The Indian esports scene is still in its infancy. Hence, we rarely get to hear about esports professionals or organizations getting sponsorships from giant global brands. When they do get sponsorships, it is mostly in the form of gadgets and equipment. Monetary sponsorships, that are more sought after and more helpful, are even rarer.  

But Entity Gaming, one of India’s most famous esport organization has managed to achieve the rare feat, in partnership with HyperX.

In a press release, Varun Bhavnani, Director & Chief Gaming Officer, Entity Gaming said:  

“HyperX is entering into our line of sponsors monetarily too! It is a first for us and we believe that we are setting a standard for the industry with regards to how sponsorships are done. We welcome this sea change in the scene and are excited to see how this pans out for the Indian esport ecosystem. India’s esport circuit requires the right infrastructure and funding to make the nation world-ready. This is a step in the right direction.” 

Mr. Vishal Parekh, Marketing Director, Kingston Technology & HyperX India said:

“We have interacted earlier with few of our community initiatives, and we are indeed excited to officially welcome Entity Gaming to the HyperX family. HyperX has been a strong support for developing the Indian gaming community and we believe it is time to focus on developing the talent and skillsets. We aim to help Team Entity gain the most out of this association and also help other Indian gaming enthusiasts to polish their gameplay in a healthy gaming environment.” 

Paving a way for the future: 

As I already mentioned earlier, monetary sponsorships in the Indian esports scene is a rare occurrence. A few teams like Team Brutality and Signify have managed to bag them, and Entity is the newest on the short list. 

But this does point out to the fact that though the esports scene in India is small it is still growing; International brands and organizations are still seeing the potential in the Indian market, and are still ready to invest in the scene even after the whole Forsaken fiasco, and accusations against Entity itself.

ALSO READ: Former Coach accuses Entity Gaming of mistreatment and breaking contract.

The latest investment paves a way for the formalization and stabilization of the esports scene in India, since monetary sponsorships can provide enough for the salaries of players and the day to day functioning of the team.  

In the recent past, even with the setbacks, Indian esports has definitely progressed, with Entity reaching the closed qualifiers of TI8, OpTic deciding to come to India (even though they left after Forsaken was caught cheating) and Dreamhack Mumbai being a success. The future looks bright as well with ESL Mumbai and CobX Masters bringing some of the most well-known faces in esports to India. 

But if the esports scene is to progress further in India, the people in the esports industry do need a stable and a living wage, since the overall prize money isn’t enough. Sponsoring gadgets for them or equipment won’t help the organizations stay afloat.  

HyperX investing in Entity monetarily won’t just be good for both the parties involved, but also for the whole of Indian esports as it will set the standard for sponsorships in India, if the partnership does indeed prove to be successful.