Reliance joins forces with BLAST to supercharge India’s eSports revolution

RISE Worldwide Ltd. (RISE), the sports and lifestyle arm of Reliance Industries, will form a joint venture with Europe-based eSports entertainment and tournament organiser BLAST to expand the eSports business in India.

"The strategic partnership will help accelerate growth by bringing BLAST’s globally recognised eSports properties and production techniques to India while co-creating new tournament IPs tailored to the fast-growing gaming market," RIL said in a press release.

Through this joint venture, RISE plans to host large-scale gaming events on the JioGames platform, covering the entire eSports ecosystem in India. This includes services for publishers and sponsors, end-to-end tournament management, targeted marketing, and production and broadcasting. The JV aims to create market-leading Indian gaming IPs while attracting top-tier titles and events in the future.

India, the world's fastest-growing gaming market, accounts for nearly 18% of global gamers and is expanding at a CAGR of 19%, with its market size projected to reach $9.2 billion by 2029.

"India is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing gaming markets in the world, with a rapidly expanding eSports audience and an appetite for more competitive gaming experiences. By partnering with Reliance, we have a unique opportunity to elevate the local eSports scene to new heights," said Robbie Douek, CEO of BLAST.

Like industry leaders in tournament organisation such as ESL, BLAST partners with top game publishers and brands to create major eSports events. These tournaments feature leading teams competing for multi-million-dollar prize pools, with 2025 arena stops in London, Singapore, Austin, and Rio. BLAST events are expected to generate 2 billion views in 2025, reaching audiences in over 150 territories and broadcasting in more than 30 languages. It collaborates with publishers like Epic Games, Valve, Riot Games, KRAFTON, and Ubisoft to produce and market eSports for titles including Rocket League, Fortnite, Rainbow Six, PUBG, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2, which together have over 350 million active monthly players.

Beyond eSports, RISE manages major properties in India and internationally, including the Indian Super League (ISL), Lakmé Fashion Week, Tata Open Maharashtra (South Asia’s only ATP World Tour event), Jio Wonderland, The Voice of Fashion, and SU.RE (Sustainable Resolution).

"With this JV, Reliance will extend its presence in sports to eSports, leveraging RISE's expertise in marketing and promoting sporting events and teams, along with Jio’s distribution and technology capabilities," said Devang Bhimjyani, Head of Reliance Sports.