From the 4th to the 6th of this month, the grand finals of the 'Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS) 2025'—the pinnacle of the 'Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)' circuit—took place in New Delhi, India. With a total prize pool of 40 million rupees (approx. 640 million KRW) and 96 invited teams, the scale of the event was truly befitting a nation of 1.4 billion people.

The preceding 'Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) 2025' saw a staggering 330,000 teams compete, drawing nearly 34 million YouTube viewers, which really puts the sheer weight of Battlegrounds Mobile in India into perspective. As BGMI has firmly established itself as India’s national game, it is effectively driving the nation's nascent esports market. Let's take a look at the brief history of Indian esports and the symbolic significance of Battlegrounds Mobile.

India wasn't exactly a global powerhouse in esports. While the nation led in IT and tech industries with a massive gaming population, investment in esports remained negligible. This was largely due to three factors: a lack of infrastructure for PC and online games, which were the traditional esports staples. Outside major hubs like Mumbai and Delhi, internet connectivity was sluggish. Furthermore, hardware accessibility for PC gaming was low, and the cultural emphasis on academics over gaming played a significant role.

Despite these barriers, the gaming population grew, and with the proliferation of mobile devices, the esports market began to expand. The Indian esports market didn't really show up in formal statistics until 2016. According to AFK Gaming, the total prize pool for Indian esports in 2016 was 7.7 million rupees (approx. 123 million KRW), with 48% coming from 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive' and 52% from 'Dota 2'. By 2017, the pool grew to 20.69 million rupees (330 million KRW), and titles diversified to include Overwatch, FIFA, and Clash Royale. Even then, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike remained the heavy hitters, and the prize money hardly qualified as professional-grade.

The real turning point for esports expansion came in 2018. In January, the U Cypher tournament became the first in Indian esports history to be broadcast on television. According to AFK Gaming, the total prize pool in 2018 jumped to 56.3 million rupees (approx. 899 million KRW), fueled by the rising popularity of Battlegrounds Mobile, which even hosted a 5-million-rupee tournament.

Beyond this, large-scale events like the COBX Masters, ESL India Premiership, and U Cypher were launched. Furthermore, with esports appearing as a demonstration event at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, Tirth 'Gcttirth' Mehta secured a bronze medal in Hearthstone, which helped shift public perception toward esports in a more positive light.

The game that truly propelled the Indian esports market beyond the realm of Counter-Strike and Dota 2 was Battlegrounds Mobile. Launched in 2018, the game’s immense popularity in India quickly saw it rise to the status of a national pastime.

Battlegrounds Mobile arrived right as smartphone penetration and internet infrastructure were peaking, causing an explosive interest in mobile gaming. This contributed to the expansion of the Indian gaming industry itself, and the broadened base naturally led to increased interest in esports. By 2019, the total esports prize pool in India had reached a massive 130 million rupees (2.076 billion KRW), with Battlegrounds Mobile playing a significant role in that growth.

In 2019, the 'PUBG India Series', the first offline pro league for Battlegrounds Mobile, was held. The total prize pool was 5.2 million rupees (approx. 83.05 million KRW), a figure comparable to the entire Indian esports market in 2016. The 2020 PUBG Mobile India Series saw a slight decrease to 5 million rupees (approx. 79.86 million KRW), but the scene remained vibrant with regional leagues, Club Opens, and All-Star events.

However, the growth of Battlegrounds Mobile esports was stunted twice by Indian government bans. The original Battlegrounds Mobile, serviced by Tencent, was blocked in September 2020. KRAFTON responded by launching 'Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI)' in August 2021. The 'BGMI Masters Series' held in July 2022 showcased such immense influence that it was broadcast live on Indian television, yet the game was blocked again in July 2022.

In December 2022, the Indian government legally classified esports as a multi-sports event, establishing a dedicated governing body and finally recognizing it as a legitimate sport. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency's '2024 Esports Status Survey', the Indian esports market is projected to reach approximately 165.8 billion KRW in revenue, with over 500 professional players currently active.

When BGMI services resumed in May 2023, KRAFTON hit the ground running with professional esports events. Starting with the BGIS 2023, the developer has held one BGIS and one BMPS annually. While BGIS is open to a wider public audience, BMPS focuses on a smaller, elite group of invited professional teams.

KRAFTON has continued to invest heavily in esports. The scale of these events and their prize pools are particularly noteworthy. The total prize pool for BGIS 2023 and 2024 was 20 million rupees (approx. 320 million KRW), while BMPS 2023 offered 10 million rupees (approx. 160 million KRW) and BMPS 2024 offered 20 million rupees. The most recent BGIS and BMPS 2025 featured the largest prize pools to date: 32.1 million rupees (approx. 512 million KRW) and 40 million rupees (approx. 640 million KRW), respectively. BMPS 2025 stands as the largest single-title tournament prize pool in Indian history.

The number of participating teams is staggering, as one might expect from a nation of 1.4 billion. BGIS 2023 saw 2,048 teams compete in its upper brackets, while BGIS 2025 saw a massive 330,000 teams join the fray. The invitation-based BMPS saw 96 teams in 2023, 128 in 2024, and 96 in 2025, proving the fierce passion Indian gamers have for Battlegrounds Mobile.

BGMI also commands a significant viewership. The BGMI esports events were broadcast on television in 2022, reaching a peak of 24 million concurrent viewers. For BGIS 2025, the event recorded a unique YouTube viewership of 34 million with 88 million total views.

Battlegrounds Mobile and KRAFTON are effectively driving the Indian esports industry. They dominate in terms of prize money and event scale, and the viewership figures are nothing short of exceptional. If PC online games were the catalyst for the birth of Indian esports, Battlegrounds Mobile has been the driving force that shifted the entire landscape toward mobile. The Indian esports market is poised for massive growth, backed by a wealth of human resources, and Battlegrounds Mobile remains the heartbeat of that expansion.