New Delhi: Reliance Jio and chipset designer MediaTek have partnered to launch a 70-day esports tournament for gaming enthusiasts in India.The online gaming event called ‘ Gaming Masters ’ will be conducted between January 13 and March 7 and will be broadcast live on JioTV HD Esports channel and YouTube , Jio said in a press release on Tuesday.“The tournament is set to test gamer’s skill, teamwork and endurance in a virtual gaming arena, while vying for a prize pool of INR 12,50,000,” it said.Gaming Masters will feature Garena’s self-developed hit battle royale title, Free Fire, which is being made available to both Jio and non-Jio users through the JioGames platform.Esports, also known as electronic sports, is a form of sport competition using video games which often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams.According to a white paper released by UK-based market research firm YouGov, India ranks among the top 10 gaming countries in the world with 71% of the urban population playing casual or professional games on smartphones, consoles and other devices.

Source: Economic Times December 29, 2020 14:40 UTC