PM Modi Discusses Esports Development with Leading Gamers

India’s top gaming influencers and personalities recently had a pivotal meeting with Prime Minister Modi. They have a discussion on the booming esports industry in the country. The roundtable brought together some of the biggest names in Indian gaming and esports industry to explore ways to drive further growth in the video game sector.

Representing the creators were Animesh Agarwal (8Bit_Thug), Naman Mathur (Mortal), and Payal Dhare (PayalGaming) from 8BitCreatives – India’s leading gaming influencer management agency. They were joined by gaming stalwarts like Ganesh Gangadhar (SKRossi), Anshu Bisht (GamerFleet), Mithilesh Patankar (MythPat), and Tirth Mehta.

Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi engages in thorough discussion with India’s leading gamers

The dialogue with the Prime Minister marked a significant milestone. It underscore the government’s recognition of esports and gaming as an emerging industry with immense potential. Discussions likely centered around supportive policies, infrastructure development, and positioning India as a global esports hub to unlock the sector’s full economic and cultural impact.

Esports in India has grown from a pastime activity to a new-age ‘multi-sport’ event, officially recognized by the government. The latest FICCI-EY report, states that participation in Esports tournaments surged to 1.8 million in 2023, across various prominent titles and competitive levels, with an estimated increase to 2.5 million in 2024. Additionally, game streamers witnessed a notable rise in viewership of 20% to 25%, particularly in Tier-II cities.

Watch the full discussion video below:

Sharing his perspective on discussing the exponential growth of Esports in India with the honorable prime minister, Animesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO of 8Bit Creatives and Co-Founder of S8UL, stated, “It was truly an honor to discuss the rapid rise of Esports in India with our honorable Prime Minister Modi and share our vision about revolutionizing the future. I was personally awed at the PM’s understanding of the nuances of the industry, especially when he mentioned that the industry right now needs to grow with support, and not regulation from the government. We also discussed ease of business around gaming and literally voiced our aspirations at the highest possible forum. Gaming is now a mainstream sport and with the government’s support we will be able to take it to the next level.”

PM Modi Discusses Esports Development with Leading Indian Gamers — Mr. Animesh Agarwal in conversation with honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi

Naman ‘Mortal’ Mathur, Co-founder & CMO of 8Bit Creatives and co-founder of S8UL called the experience surreal and said “Being in the presence of the PM, discussing the topic closest to my heart, was indeed surreal. Who thought I would be playing with the PM & personally walking him through the nuances of one of the games around the theme of Indian mythology. I hope this moment is an inflection point for gaming & esports in India.”

Payal Dhare looked back at the interaction and mentioned “Discussing prospects for female gamers in India with the PM made my journey so much more worthwhile. I realized that he is a great listener, and perfectly paraphrased the difference between esports & gaming content creation, something we now hope everyone will be able to understand. His vision for game development in India around Indian culture, environmental issues, etc is something I felt very strongly about, and I hope it helps take Indian games to the global stage. Thanks to sir for gifting us a lifetime memory.”

Lokesh ‘Goldy’ Jain, Co-founder of 8Bit Creatives expressed his pride and said, “This is bound to have outcomes for the industry which I look forward to, but as of now I am focussing on the happiness I am feeling. Having three of my own sit with the PM and discuss gaming & esports, reminds me of why I do what I do. I am completely aligned with the PM’s vision, and hope to work towards it with my team, to the extent we can.”

Tirth Mehta, “The meeting with PM sir was very fruitful as we got to discuss our journey, challenges, and the improvement that can be made for the industry. We also learned many things from PM sir, and it was great to see their curiosity to learn about our gaming world. PM sir’s words of encouragement and their bright vision for the industry has motivated us all and assured us that India will become a leading gaming nation in the future.”