Team Vitality India has on-boarded players Indro “FABINDRO” Saha and Pratik “AURUM” Mehra to lead the Free Fire mobile and BGMI rosters respectively in 2022
Paris headquartered Team Vitality, has announced it is moving into Free Fire Mobile and Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). This comes after it successfully entered Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) with its roster qualifying and competing in the CODM World Championship Finals in 2021.
Team Vitality Expands In India With Move Into BGMI And Free Fire Mobile, Announces New Players
With an existing top content creator line-up and esports rosters in now three major titles, Team Vitality reinforces its commitment to a long-term investment into the Indian ecosystem, and its goal to dominate the region’s esports scene.
To lead the Free Fire roster as Coach and IGL, Team Vitality cherry-picked 2021’s Esports Premiere League and Free Fire Tri Series champion, Indranil “FABINDRO” Saha. BGMI veteran and fan favourite, Pratik “AURUM” Mehra will coach the BGMI line-up.
We spoke to Randall Fernandez, Managing Director, Team Vitality India to dwell about the advent into the two new facets, what the impending time holds for the team and how the journey has been till date with the team spearheading India’s eSports revolution.
The last couple of years have seen a gargantuan spur of growth in the eSports fraternity in India. What do you anticipate going ahead and how has the journey been like for you till now?
Going by FICCI-EY gaming related reports, the Esports trajectory in India is on a positive growth path with industry size poised to cross $11bn by 2025 and the country having over 1.5 million esports players by then. This trajectory looks very promising for any esports org looking to set base here.
Given we were taking baby steps in 2021, from an investment point-of-view we worked on a ‘slowly but surely’ approach as our strategy is long-term. Shortly after on-boarding our 4 content creators to help build our brand locally, in March 2021 we announced our first esports roster on Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM).
For year 1, we are very proud that our team qualified for the 2021 CODM World Championship finals and today ranks #2 position across the South Asia and Middle East region. This year our goal is for them to up-the-ante and stand among top 3 teams in the world.
We are super excited to kick-start our Free Fire and BGMI rosters shortly and happy to see publishers like Garena and Krafton investing in India. Going forward as well, we intend to follow a similar approach by keeping a lookout for newer publishers looking to invest into the Indian esports ecosystem and accordingly move with the cheese.
Do you think India has exponential potential to grow this year considering it is Asian Games year as well?
It is always fantastic when athletes from India are given a chance to represent the country on international platforms. Visibility at such big events, not only reassures fence-sitter players who have the right skill sets but are unsure about esports as a long-term career option but also addresses parents or gatekeepers who are currently unaware of the huge potential available for their kids who want to have a career in esports. It goes without saying, the more the number of esports players, the more publishers want to invest into further growing the ecosystem.
Who all/what kind of roster are you looking for BGMI and free fire since different teams have different strategies?
Along with AURUM and FABINDRO, we are still exploring multiple options and strategies on how we can on-board highly talented athletes to form winning teams. We will be able to share more details once things are finalized.
Why a late entry into BGMI and Free Fire?
We believe our time of entry into mobile esports is perfect. For the ecosystem to grow we need more than 1-2 publishers to continuously invest in it. Very soon you will see more publishers like Riot Games, EA, etc coming in with newer mobile titles that have the possibility to exponentially scale up the esports industry in India if they seriously commit and focus in the market.
By investing alongside them, we will also be able to help contribute to this growth.
Team Vitality India Rope In Free Fire Tri Series Champion Indranil “FABINDRO” Saha And BGMI Veteran Pratik “AURUM” Mehra
Formerly the IGL of Sixth Sense, TSM India, XTZ Esports, and Mumbai Marshals, FABINDRO is an icon in the Free Fire community known for his discipline and dedication in pursuit of greatness.
“I have been looking forward to Team Vitality’s entry into Free Fire”, said Indranil. “Since the org announced its venture into India, it has been my desire to one day be part of it. So, it is truly a dream come true. I do have a couple of talented players in mind that will make a winning team. We will be making a mark very soon in Free Fire tournaments, both domestic and international.”
Pratik “AURUM” Mehra also carries one of the most celebrated careers in PUBG mobile and BGMI history. From being the Coach that led Team Fnatic to win the PUBG mobile All-Stars Championship in 2019, to representing India on international platforms in countries like Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and China. Pratik is equally respected in the Indian esports community.
On the task of setting up the future BGMI/PUBG roster for Team Vitality, Pratik says “In order to excel as one team, the org, Coach, and every esports athlete, needs to believe in the same ideals and values. I’m completely aligned with Team Vitality’s vision for India and am proud that they are placing their trust in me. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure our BGMI roster reaches the top position.”
Speaking on the occasion, CEO of Team Vitality, Nicolas Maurer said, “2022 is off toa fantastic start for us. Following our industry-defining CS:GO and League of Legends roster reveals and announcing our multi-year partnership with Tezos, we are excited to share our further expansion into the mobile esports arena with Free Fire and BGMI.
“Both titles are immensely popular and have an unprecedented fan following in India and I am looking forward to seeing teams under the Team Vitality umbrella dominate the region and beyond.”
Randall Fernandez, Managing Director, Team Vitality India, added, “In our endeavour to become the best, we always on-board people who share a similar mindset and thought process as ours. Legends like FABINDRO and AURUM joining us is a big step in our plans to fortify our position in the country.
“We’ll be working closely during the next couple of days to finalize our overall approach on both new titles. Additionally, with our exemplary existing line-up of athletes, a fully equipped Training and Streaming Facility, and Team Vitality’s esports pedigree, we are confident to soon become the highest ranked teams in India and internationally, in Free Fire, BGMI, and CODM.”
The new teams will be operating out of the state-of-the-art Team Vitality India Training Facility located in Mumbai, India. A new announcement will be made shortly on Team Vitality’s Free Fire and BGMI rosters. You can follow their updates on Team Vitality India’s Instagram.
About Team Vitality, Owner And Members
A global esports organisation, Team Vitality is dedicated to the development of excellence and forging a new generation of esports athletes. Home to the world’s best players competing across eight games, Team Vitality’s goal is to dominate the European esports scene and become a serious contender at the biggest and most prestigious global tournaments.
A worldwide recognised lifestyle and entertainment brand, Team Vitality and its athletes have over 13 million followers across social media and carry industry leading partners including adidas and Tezos.
Founded in 2013 by Nicolas Maurer and Fabien Devide, Team Vitality is headquartered in the heart of Paris in V.Hive, their state-of-the-art public esports complex, and its players train in V.Performance, a cutting edge facility in the iconic Stade de France.
Team Vitality continues to expand beyond France and fields athletes and coaching staff of 16 different nationalities. In 2020, Team Vitality expanded into Asia, launching a new base of operations in Mumbai, India.
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