Avid gamer, cosplay enthusiast? Gaming fest DreamHack is coming to India

Viacom18 and Nodwin Gaming are bringing the digital gaming festival to Asia for the first time

Gaming and e-sports company Nodwin, a subsidiary of Nazara Ltd (Nazara), and entertainment network Viacom18 have come together to bring international gaming festival -- DreamHack -- to India. The DreamHack India event will take place from December 21 to 23 in Mumbai.  

Sudhanshu Vats, group CEO and managing director designate, Viacom18, said, "Viacom18 has never been one to shy away from experimenting with new concepts, ideas and formats. Given the strong affinity youth audiences have with our content, brands and experiences, we think this is the right time for us to dip our toes in the fast-paced, thrilling world of e-sports. The world is changing fast and lines are blurring between different content genres."

"Given the abundance of data that has been unleashed by Jio, it is only natural for the fandom around e-sports to grow by leaps and bounds in India. As the country's youngest full-play media organisation, we want to stay ahead of the curve and tap into tomorrow's big passion points today. Our association with DreamHack is a step in this direction," he added.

DreamHack is a digital festival where gamers and digital natives come together for a three-day weekend which features a 24-hour-a-day local area network (LAN) party, e-sports gaming competition. The festival participants will include players/gamers who will be invited for a gaming championship in pro e-sports tournaments, collegiate matches, cosplay championship, panels, and activities, among other things. Till date, DreamHack has organised multiple events in the North America and European regions.

Akshat Rathee, founder and CEO, Nodwin Gaming, said, "DreamHack has always been the epitome of the celebration of gaming and e-sports globally and we are delighted to partner with DreamHack on their Indian journey. India, with its dynamic youth and famed hospitality, is a great beachhead into bringing the DreamHack experience to Asia. Nodwin Gaming has been working hard on providing the best for our community of gamers across the country. This places the love for gaming right at the centre of our ecosystem. Partnering with Viacom18 brings the synergy full circle. Their reach to the youth of our country is unparalleled and we look forward to the convergence."

The festival will see events with popular games such as DOTA, CSGO and KO Fight Nights (a street fighter championship), along with a mobile cricket event. The participants will also get a chance to meet and greet with international teams and gamers. The gaming festival will be a ticketed event starting from Rs 399 and will be streamed live on VOOT. 

Sidharth Kedia, head (corporate strategy, M&A, data sciences) and deputy chief commercial officer, Viacom18, said, "There is an avid gaming community in India and with Viacom18's presence across live, digital and broadcast media, along with a strong connect with the Indian youth, we are uniquely poised to leverage properties such as DreamHack in India and take e-sports to a larger audience base. We look forward to introducing this exciting property to Indian audiences."