Franchise Owners Discuss Skyesports Masters

Skyesports Masters is a groundbreaking step in Indian Esports. In an industry where organizations bleed money every single day, a franchise system is a huge positive for the sustainable development of the scene. With the league set to kick off in just a couple more days, the various owners shared their thoughts on the event in a pre-show hosted by Global Esports' Rushindra Sinha.

First up was Manoj Kashyap, Owner of Velocity Gaming. The organization revealed their roster today as the final partnered team in the league.

"When Velocity began operations in 2020, we started with a Counter-Strike roster before expanding into other esports. Creating a roster for this league is like going back to our roots. I was a Counter-Strike player in the past and now I have a Counter-Strike team. We wanted to go for some fresh blood in our team and look for hidden talents. We found our team in Kolkata, they have been very prominent there consistently grinding in local events. I looked at them and immediately said let’s not wait around, let’s sign these guys."
-Manoj Kashyap, Velocity Gaming

Following that, we had Rohit Jagasia, Founder of Revenant Esports who revealed that the team will comprise of a core of Indian players currently playing in the IESF Qualifier in Riyadh, alongside two imports, one from Malaysia and one from Australia.

"I have been an MMORPG guy throughout my life, the only FPS I ever played was CS1.6 in college and at cafes so there's some sort of nostalgia for Counter Strike. I haven't played as much as some of the OGs like you obviously. Our roster consists of 3 Indian players. They're flying to Riyadh right now for the IESF qualifier. We also have one player from Australia and one from Malaysia. We'll be revealing the entire team soon."
-Rohit Jagasia, Revenant Esports

Talking about the financial and business side of the league and it's importance for organizations was Sharang Naicker, CEO of Reckoning Esports.

"We haven't revealed our roster even to Skyesports yet. We are currently running a scouting program for Counter-Strike. What Skyesports have done with the Franchise system, showing sustainability and profitability for all the participants, is showing a great vision and a great dream for all the owners. We have been around in Esports for 6+ years, and we've been looking for something like this. Some venture where we can earn some money back. It's a great initiative, and I'm really excited to be a part of the league."
-Sharang Naicker, CEO Reckoning Esports

Sharing his excitement for the league, Enigma Gaming's CEO Aryaman Wasan took to the mic next.

We have a lot of plans to execute moving ahead. We'll slowly be revealing everything. There are a lot of announcements in the Esports community thanks to CS. We'll slowly introduce all the content we're creating. I think this is one of the biggest tournaments we've had in Asia for a long time. I'm very grateful to be a part of it. Initially, there was a lot going on in our minds. Like any other game, we've been a part of, we want to build a top roster.
Usually, that takes a long time to get a good team working together with he management supporting them. Given the time constraints, we thought the best way to go about it was to get a good mix of youth and experience and local and international talent. We're one of the rosters who'll have international players in the team. Everything will be revealed in due course of time.
-Aryaman Wasan, Enigma Gaming

Highlighting the importance of 7SEA's connection to its parent company Ampverse, Ashwin Haryani discussed how they utilise their international connections.

We were one of the first to get our roster in place. We had our roster in February. They've been playing and winning a bunch of the tournaments that are going on. A great benefit of being a part of Ampverse is that we have a bunch of teams across Asia. We have gotten a lot of support from the international teams we operate. It helps us get not just players but coaching and mentorship from the other teams we own and operate. That's a great edge.
-Ashwin Haryani, 7SEA Esports

In the midst of rosters with international talents, Gods Reign believes the winning strategy is to build a strong roster with local talents.

We always wanted KillSwitch and Reven in our roster, I believe Reven is a great IGL. We wanted to stick to local players, especially in CS, and we found the Indian talent for that. We signed 3 individuals from other teams to add the right mentality for the team and keep communications positive. And we'll see how it goes as the tournament goes forward.

• K.R. Rohith

Finally, we had the youngest owner in the league, Kabir Kohli sharing his thoughts. After creating Medal Esports at just 13, the now 15-year-old Kabir relies on trustworthy figures from his organization to help create the best rosters.

I know the people around me, and I trust them to execute my vision. My manager has been running the CS roster. Buster and Rossi had played for Medal in other titles and so it's easier for me to interact with them, and I know that they are motivated to practice every day and play to the highest level.
-Kabir Kohli

With the owners pouring everything they have into their rosters, Skyesports Masters is looking to be the biggest success in Indian Esports. The league kicks off on 8 July and will feature the 8 teams battling it out for a chunk of the INR 2 Crore prize pool.