The unstoppable esports juggernaut just keeps marching on. From as far back as I can remember in the late ‘90s, when I battled with friends on games like Need For Speed and Counter Strike, to today’s multiplayer online battlegrounds of Apex Legends and BGMI, esports has championed the spirit of video gaming competition and slowly transformed into a global phenomenon, captivating millions and even rivalling traditional sports in terms of viewership. And now it’s getting the ultimate recognition, a place on the grandest athletic stage, thanks to the landmark announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) just days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games begin.
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At the 142nd IOC Session in Paris, the IOC Executive Board (EB) unanimously endorsed the proposal for the creation of the separate Olympic Esports Games. Scheduled to take place every two years (instead of the four year gap between consecutive Olympic Games) between the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the Olympic Esports Games will officially kick off in 2025. The first edition of this historic esports event will be held next year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – in fact, the IOC has partnered with the National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia for the organisation of the Olympic Esports Games for 12 years.
“With the confirmation by the IOC Session of the creation of the Olympic Esports Games, we are keeping up with the pace of the digital revolution,” said Thomas Bach, IOC President, noting how it’s the beginning of a new era for the Olympic movement. The IOC President also acknowledged the efforts of the esports community at large, and how this milestone wouldn’t have been possible without their enthusiastic push and constant engagement with the IOC in recent years.
According to the IOC, they’ve been exploring esports as an Olympic event since 2018, but it wasn’t until they dipped their toes in with the 2023 Singapore Esports Week that the IOC was convinced to go all in and give the green light on bringing esports into the Olympic fold. Soon after at the 141st IOC Session in Mumbai in October 2023, the IOC President asked the IOC Esports Commission to study the creation of the Olympic Esports Games. And the rest, as they say, is history!
A gold medal for esports
For years, esports has battled the stigma of being an entertaining but largely wasteful pastime for pimple-faced nerds dwelling in their home’s gaming corners. The creation of not just a medal category at the existing Summer Olympics but a full-fledged, totally separate Olympic Esports Games is an unprecedented recognition of the global esports movement by the IOC. A true watershed moment in the history of video games, if you will.
“KRAFTON welcomes the IOC’s initiative to introduce Olympic Esports Games, marking a significant milestone for the global esports community. This development underscores esports’ growing influence and recognition in India and on the world stage. As an industry, we recognise the need to come together and create an infrastructure and ecosystem that nurtures the skills of esports athletes, enabling them to reach and excel at international standards,” said Sean Hyunil Sohn, CEO, KRAFTON India, in an email statement. KRAFTON India recently concluded the BGIS 2024, a three-day esports tournament with an exciting finale at the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad, where Team XSPARK won the championship and claimed the grand prize of ₹60 lakh from a pool of ₹2 crore.
“We believe this initiative will inspire and propel our local talents and stakeholders, fostering greater opportunities and visibility on a global platform. This move will also help in creating a structured esports policy and nurture the ecosystem in the country,” Sean added further.
Also reacting to this historic development, Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and MD of NODWIN Gaming, South Asia’s leading esports company, said, “NODWIN Gaming is thrilled that esports has earned its place in the Olympics with its own standalone event, akin to the Summer, Winter, and Paralympics. This recognition allows countries to develop independent esports programs. Together with our partners in the GEF and the EWC, NODWIN Gaming is eager to build esports in our core growth markets, seizing this opportunity for hope and glory.”
“I feel it was only a matter of time before esports officially became a part of the Olympics and we welcome the decision,” said Anurag Khurana, Founder and CEO, Newgen Gaming Pvt. Ltd. Newgen Gaming operates two brands Penta Esports and Penta Productions. “We are eager to understand India’s roadmap to the Olympics Esports Games and how the selection process for the same will be handled. We also look forward to increased support from the government for esports in India following the official recognition for esports by IOC,” he further added.
Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports, commented, “It’s great to see the confirmation of the Olympic Esports Games by the IOC. This initiative not only mainstreams esports but also helps to remove any lingering stigma surrounding it. By bringing global attention and legitimizing esports on such a prestigious platform, we at Skyesports are excited about the immense opportunities this presents. It reaffirms our commitment to fostering growth and excellence in the esports industry, both in India and worldwide.”
Indian game developers welcome the move
A few Indian game developers I reached out to for comment responded with enthusiasm, and welcomed this Olympic recognition of esports. The creation of a wholly separate Olympic Esports Games on a biennial basis is no doubt a recognition of the growing importance of esports and gaming’s potential to inspire and unite people around the world, they suggested.
According to an India Game Developers Conference (IGDC) spokesperson, this development is fantastic news for esports. “We have already had Esports included at the Asian Games since 2022 and we believe that its inclusion at the Olympics was just a matter of time. The IOC’s announcement of the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 presents a tremendous opportunity for the Indian esports community,” said the IGDC spokesperson in an email statement. “We believe that it will drive the development of new IPs and significantly boost the market, bringing much-needed investment and support. We hope that this recognition will inspire Indian gamers to pursue esports as a career and help build a robust ecosystem, fostering growth and inclusivity in the industry,” emphasised the IGDC spokesperson.
According to Shalin Shodhan, CEO and Founder, Masala Games, the game prototyper in him is already cracking his knuckles at the scale of opportunity ahead. “I’ve been working on cognitive games and occupational therapy games for over 10 years now. These kinds of games are already used to enhance cognitive function in athletes of physical sports. So the inclusion of digital sport in the Olympics seems very natural and timely to me. I’m really excited to see how this shapes up and what kind of games the IOC brings to the Olympics,” mentioned Shodhan.
“This is a massive win for the video games industry. It gives us as game developers the incentive to craft our games to the highest competitive standard – to be an esport,” said Deepak Ail, CEO and co-founder of Dot9 Games. They’re the developers of FAU-G Domination that is being published by Nazara. “For esports athletes this gives them a greater purpose – to represent their nation on the biggest possible stage, the Olympics. For players, this gives them a career path to become athletes. Hopefully, this supercharges the Indian esports ecosystem to create world-winning talent,” Ail concluded.
Impact on Indian esports culture
With an Olympic level thumbs up to esports, Ankit Panth, a professional esports player and member of Mumbai-based esports team, Team Brutality, suggested the stigma around gaming as a career option will go away. “It has always been a dream to see esports being included in the Olympics and finally that day has come. It’s definitely going to motivate every gamer to work harder. Now finally we (esports players) can tell our parents that esports can provide a pathway of even representing India at the Olympics. I hope the day isn’t far away when we get to hear India’s national anthem playing at the Olympic Esports Games,” Panth said.
Panth also wished this would allow big companies like Tata and Reliance to enter the esports arena and help groom Indian esports talent, as winning an esports tournament in India is still quite challenging and not everyone’s cup of tea.
By introducing Olympic Esports Games, the IOC has given college esports a monumental boost, according to Arun Yadav, Head, SKOAR College Gaming Club, a sister brand of Digit. “This recognition will inspire a new wave of student-athletes to pursue esports at a higher level, driving innovation, collaboration, and excellence within university programs across India,” Arun further emphasised.
Suffice to say that the Olympic Esports Games announcement marks an important turning point for the entire world of esports, not to mention Indian gaming as well. With a mobile-first audience of over 500 million gamers and an esports market of over US $200 million in 2023 – which is only expected to grow – the future of Indian gaming and esports is undeniably bright, aspiring to break new ground on the Olympic stage. I sure hope that some time next year I won’t just be discussing movies or TV shows with friends in a late-night weekend session of Fortnite or CS2, but cheering on future Olympic champions from India, replaying their moments of esports glory as they dominate the emerging gaming battlefield.
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Jayesh Shinde
Executive Editor at Digit. Technology journalist since Jan 2008, with stints at Indiatimes.com and PCWorld.in. Enthusiastic dad, reluctant traveler, weekend gamer, LOTR nerd, pseudo bon vivant. View Full Profile
