It goes without saying that in India, Esports isn’t as developed as in a few other regions like North America and Europe. The density of tournaments is considerably low here, and we rarely hear about any professional gamers making it big.
However, in recent times Indian Esports started budding, and we have a few incredible people to thank for it. In this article, we will be talking about Red Bull, and how they are putting a lot of effort to help develop the Indian Esports scene.
Before we get started, let us get a brief look at what Red Bull is. It’s an energy drink sold by Red Bull GmbH; an Austrian company created in 1987. Amongst gamers, energy drinks are very popular as they charge up your stamina for a lot of games with just one can. Red Bull is the most famous among all the energy drinks, not just in India, but in the World.
Red Bull R1v1r Runes
Recently, Red Bull has been getting involved in the Indian Esports scene. Let’s start with their biggest contribution – R1v1r Runes. R1v1r Runes is a yearly Dota 2 tournament. It is described as “an action-packed Dota 2 1v1 mirror mode tournament suited for amateur as well as advanced players.”
You might be wondering that this sounds just like any other 1v1 Dota 2 tournament. Let me dismantle that really quick – Down below is a video from Purge explaining how R1v1r Runes works. Yes, THE Purge.
They have also created a custom Dota 2 map, just for the tournament. This shows how dedicated they are to create a competitive and unique Dota 2 tournament. Here’s the map on Steam if you want to have a look. For a LAN event happening in India, this is very uncommon and happily welcomed.
For complete information about the tournament, check out this page on Red Bull’s website. The finale of R1v1r Runes will be held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) on 22nd and 23rd November 2019.
Ankit “V3nom” Panth – India’s first Red Bull athlete in gaming
Moving on to more good deeds from Red Bull, they have signed up Ankit “V3nom” Panth as India’s first Red Bull athlete in gaming. This is incredible, and something we have never heard of before in India. It sends out an important message to all the gamers of India who are serious about turning their passion into a profession – Just because you are from India, does not mean that you can’t turn gaming into a successful profession.
Here’s a quote from Ankit himself, on becoming India’s first Red Bull Athlete in gaming:
Mom, I officially have my wings now!” – I wanted to say this to her since the day she said, “Ankit, you are an Esports Athlete and you also have Red Bull supplies coming home every month. Are you a Red Bull Athlete as well?” I had to tell her ‘no’ because I wasn’t signed up by at that point. I asked her how she knew about it, and she said, “one of my friend’s kid saw your stream and told his mom that you are a professional gamer and also a streamer like Ninja who is supported by Red Bull.” I promised myself that day, to try and make this happen because this was a question asked to my mom, and I made a promise to her that I will get the answers to all her questions. I did some research and found out that it was very difficult to become a Red Bull Athlete and get signed by them. It didn’t scare me, but motivated me to make this happen, so that my mom could have an answer. I remember precisely one day when I was waiting for my bus to go to school and was very nervous because my exams were going on. I told her I was scared and she the following words in my mind – “I can and I will”. This thing has stuck with me since my childhood and it was time to prove her right once again. Thank you, Red Bull India, for believing in me and giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. You have given me wings and supported my passion. Now it’s time to get my dreams.
Its quite clear how happy Ankit is after he got signed up by Red Bull. He sets out a very good example for all of us, the gamers of India.
Personally, I am very happy that a huge brand like Red Bull is taking interest into Indian Esports. This will definitely catch the attention of other big brands and they might also consider dipping their feet in the Esports industry.
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