TEAM VITALITY LAUNCHES IN INDIA

• Team Vitality announces a new base of operations in Mumbai as it furthers its commitment to esports in India
• The organisation starts by partnering with the most renowned content creators in the region
• Expansion towards at least one competitive roster is planned for 2021

MUMBAI, 04/12/2020: Team Vitality, the leading esports teams in Europe, today officially announces the launch of its India operations. The expansion sees Team Vitality plant roots in Mumbai, and partner with some of the biggest content creators in India, including YouTube sensation Nischay Malhan. The organisation first raised the prospect of a significant presence in India earlier this year, and launched its Indian social media last month. Today marks the reveal of Team Vitality’s first plans for the expansion, as it furthers its commitment to the growth of esports and gaming in the region.

Team Vitality’s immediate focus is on building its local presence and community in order to establish a deeper connection with its fans in India. Team Vitality has partnered with gaming content creators Nischay Malhan, Rachit Yadav, Nitin Chougale and Saloni Kandalgaonkar whose respective YouTube channels i.e. Live Insaan, Rachitroo, Classified YT, and Mili kya Mili, have a combined following of 1 crore (10 million). The content creators will host a variety of engaging events and contests across their social media channels, as well as on Team Vitality India’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Following Team Vitality’s first move into the Indian gaming space, the organisation is committed to creating a purely competitive branch in 2021, with the ambition of becoming the best esports organization in the region. Further details on the competitive expansion will be revealed soon, following the initial launch which will see the team build a robust foundation and community in India.

Headquartered in Paris, France, Team Vitality is home to eight top performing teams across nine games, and over 50 athletes from 13 nationalities. With its presence in India, Team Vitality is poised to help the country’s gaming enthusiasts unlock their competitive potential. Team Vitality’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CG:GO) roster recently took the No.1 position in HLTV World rankings, establishing themselves as the best team in the world. The organisation is one of only ten teams in the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) franchise and reached the World Championship in 2018, and its Rocket League team won the 2019 World Championship. In addition, Team Vitality is partnered with mainstream brands across an array of industries such as Red Bull, Corsair, adidas, Renault, etc.

Official Statements

In a press release, the CEO of Team Vitality, Nicolas Maurer, speaking on the occasion said, “Team Vitality constantly strives to build winning teams on the international stage. Our entry into India is a big milestone for us and part of our endeavour to conquer the world of esports. Our mission here is to not just build professional teams but to also make ourselves the most aspirational esports brand in the country. We’re very keen to engage with our fans in India via our content creators before competing in the biggest local tournaments with our incoming professional teams.”

Moreover, Amit Jain, Principal of the Rewired.gg, venture fund that has invested €34 million into Team Vitality, commented, “We believe that esports is one of the world’s fastest growing industries today with India having a huge untapped base of gaming talent just waiting to be discovered. The continuous success of Team Vitality promises a huge opportunity for growth in this market. We are well on our way to building one of the world’s first billion-dollar esports teams.”

Randall Fernandez, General Manager, Team Vitality India, commented, “This is an interesting time to enter India and the arrival of Team Vitality is welcomed with great optimism and excitement. With professional esports significantly picking up in the region, our approach will include finding new talent at a grassroots level and offering them the opportunity to join Team Vitality. We will then focus on bringing their performance up to the standard of our global esports athletes, not least at our world-class V.Hive HQ in Paris and our resident training facilities at the Stade de France. Expect to see new Indian esports stars winning tournaments as part of Team Vitality very soon.”    

About Team Vitality

A global esports organisation, Team Vitality is dedicated to developing excellence and forging a new generation of esports athletes. Home to the world’s best players competing across nine titles, Team Vitality is one of only ten teams in the League of Legends European Championship, Europe’s most watched esports league. A globally recognised lifestyle and entertainment brand, Team Vitality and its players have over 20 million followers across social media and carry more mainstream sponsors than any other esports team, including adidas, Renault, Orange and Red Bull. The team has participated in more than 1000 competitions and its players have stood atop over 250 podiums around the world.

Founded in 2013 by Nicolas Maurer and Fabien Devide, Team Vitality is headquartered in the heart of Paris, in their state-of-the-art public esports complex V.Hive, and has high performance training centres in the iconic Stade de France and the Renault Sport Racing factory in Oxfordshire, UK.

About Rewired.gg

Rewired.gg is a Switzerland-based esports venture fund investing in the talent and ideas that are driving the global growth of esports. Between 2018 and 2019 Rewired.gg backed European esports leader Team Vitality with €34m of cumulative investment to create a global esports brand.