Indian esports tournament platform Penta Esports has announced a partnership with streaming platform Loco.
As a result of the deal, the two parties will join forces to launch the Penta Collegiate League, a new Indian esports league for colleges and universities.
The inaugural season will see players compete in VALORANT and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), with playoffs and the finals streaming exclusively on the Loco platform. Those competing will have a chance to win ₹3,000,000 (~£30,800) in scholarships to assist students embarking on a career in esports.
Joining the platform as partners of the Penta Collegiate League are Leverage Edu and Indian fitness technology company GOqii. Leverage Edu will become the ‘study abroad partner’, meanwhile, GOQii will act as the event’s healthcare partner.
Anurag Khurana, Founder and CEO of Penta Esports, spoke on the deal: “Our major focus is to provide opportunities to the budding esports athletes at the grassroots level. Esports is rapidly gaining popularity as a viable path for many and we want to provide a platform similar to conventional sports to aspiring esports athletes. The scholarship aims to help esports athletes in their endeavours.”
Collegiate esports in India has gone through a phase of significant growth throughout 2022 already. In April, esports platform GoodGameNation partnered with youth community platform Viral Fission to create ‘the largest collegiate esports competition’ in the region.
Founded in 2021 by gaming and esports company Newgen Gaming, Penta Esports hosts regular tournaments across a number of titles including Free Fire and BGMI.
For Loco, the partnership consolidates its position as one of the largest streaming platforms in the region. The platform recently retained broadcasting rights for the NBA 2K League, resulting in the platform covering every match of the 2022 season.
