The WD Black Cup, hosted by Skyesports is back with a bang for Season 4 as a LAN event. Taking place on Feb. 18 at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi during the India Gaming Show (IGS) 2023, the esports tournament will feature multiple game titles and a prize pool of Rs. 13 lakhs on the line.

The IGS 2023 is an initiative by the Confederation of India (CII) and is supported by the Government of India (GOI). The WD Black Cup Season 4 is being executed by Skyesports. Nvidia GeForce is the “powered by” sponsor while Amazon is the exclusive e-commerce partner.

The upcoming WD Black Cup Season 4 is set to showcase India’s top players in a head-to-head battle for supremacy in Real Cricket and CSGO, vying for coveted bragging rights.

Both games conducted open-for-all qualifiers, drawing participation from hundreds of players across every corner of the country. Following a rigorous series of qualifiers, the top two players in Real Cricket and the leading two teams in CSGO are now poised to converge on the national capital for the inaugural WD Black Cup LAN event.

In the realm of Real Cricket, the two standout players are Davinder Singh and Sonu Singh, while the CSGO teams set to compete include Kingpins and Wicked Gaming.

Fans can catch all the action live on the Skyesports YouTube channel.

Besides CSGO and Real Cricket, the WD Black Cup Season 4 also included Pokémon UNITE which happened online. After an intense tournament, S8UL edged out Marcos Gaming in the finals to become the champions.

Also Read: Marcos Gaming Qualifies for the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2023 in Malaysia

Marcos Gaming is headed to Malaysia after becoming the first Indian organization to qualify for the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2023. They booked their slot in the tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after a dominating performance in Stage 1 of the India League.

The Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League 2023 – India is taking place from Jan. 7 to Feb. 25. Organized by Skyesports in collaboration with The Pokémon Company, the top five teams of the country are battling for two spots in the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League in Malaysia.

In Stage 1 of the India League, the five teams engaged in fierce competition using a single round-robin format. Marcos Gaming showcased an exceptional performance, securing a spot in the final showdown by effortlessly overcoming their opponents, including the reigning Indian champions, Gods Reign.

As the first-place finishers, Marcos Gaming has secured a direct entry into the Grand Finals of the India League – Stage 2, solidifying their position as one of the two Indian teams representing Malaysia.

Their journey to the summit is just beginning, as they now set their sights on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they will face off against the top contenders from the East Asia League and Southeast Asia League. This cross-regional LAN tournament promises intense action, with the ultimate victor claiming the prestigious title of Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League champion and a substantial prize pool of $30,000.

With a roster of talented players, Snowyy, Volc, Meruem, VoxZ, and Kyurem, Marcos Gaming is a force to be reckoned with. They’re preparing for their next big game on Feb. 19, at the India League Finals, where they aim to end on a high note before heading to the international competition.

Commenting on the qualification, Marcos Gaming’s Volc said, “We are excited to represent India at the Asia Champions League in Malaysia. After the Pokémon UNITE India Open 2022, we had to improvise our strategy and incorporate a draft we were more comfortable running. Our org, Marcos Gaming, has been incredibly supportive throughout this journey. I would also like to thank The Pokémon Company and Skyesports for this opportunity. We are working hard and are looking forward to competing amongst the top teams in Asia.”

The other slot will go to one of the other two remaining teams in the India League, which are Revenant Esports and S8UL.

Also Read: Skyesports Joins with Microsoft to Host the Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3 in Delhi

Jet Skyesports returns with its inaugural LAN event of 2023. Set against the backdrop of the India Gaming Show (IGS) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on February 16 and 17, the Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3 will showcase elite creators and teams vying for supremacy.

Adding to the excitement, the event will revive Skyesports’ all-female esports intellectual property, Skyesports Luna, as a LAN event featuring VALORANT. This marks the inception of India’s premier all-female VALORANT LAN esports event.

Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3 To be Held in Delhi

The IGS is an initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) which the Government of India supports to provide a platform to showcase gaming and animation.

After an immensely successful 2022, Skyesports is tying up with Microsoft as the title partner and leading semiconductor manufacturer AMD as the “powered by” sponsors for the tournament. The Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3 is set to showcase multiple esports titles.

With gaming quickly growing in popularity in the country, Microsoft Windows 11 will take centre stage at the IGS through the tournament as it brings PC gaming back to life.

As per Niko Partners’ report, the gamer count in India reached 396.4 million in 2022, and projections indicate a surge to over 630 million in the next four years. The Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3 emerges as an ideal platform for Microsoft and AMD to establish direct connections with a youthful and tech-savvy audience.

Speaking about this, Microsoft India Head of Modern Work Bhaskar Basu said, “Gaming has always been an integral part of the Windows experience. Windows 11 helps maximise the gaming experience, enabling a much more powerful and fully immersive engagement through technologies like Auto HDR, Direct Storage and more. We are thrilled to be the title sponsors of the Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3. Partnering with Skyesports allows us to bring the joy of gaming and hundreds of high-quality PC games to enthusiasts across India.”

Jet Skyesports founder and CEO Shiva Nandy added, “With nearly 400 million gamers, India is already becoming the hotbed for gaming and esports globally and brands like Microsoft and AMD have realized that. After the success of the Skyesports Grand Slam Season 2 last year, which recorded more than 40 million viewership, we are thrilled to be back with Season 3 as a LAN event. This will also be our first event in the national capital and we are beyond excited to welcome our already big audience in the city to the Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam.”

The LAN event in Delhi will feature intense esports action to keep fans engaged across both days of the competition. Besides this, there will be unique activations with Microsoft and AMD along with giveaways to reward all the fans who show up to the Pragati Maidan.

Entry to the Windows 11 Skyesports Grand Slam Season 3 will be free for everyone. Fans from the country can tune into the esports action live on the Skyesports YouTube and Twitch channels.

Also Read: EA To Cease Apex Legends Mobile in May and Cancels Battlefield Mobile, Says Players Will Not Get Refund

Leading smartphone brand, Tecno has collaborated with popular Indian esports tournament organiser, Skyesports to host one of the biggest COD Mobile tournaments. The tournament is named Call of Duty Mobile India POVA Cup which will be taking place for the entirety of 2023.

The Call of Duty Mobile India POVA Cup, presented by global premium smartphone TECNO Mobile and organized by South Asia’s leading esports tournament Skyesports, is here to ignite the competitive scene for the FPS title in the country! The tournament will take place across five weeks on each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Jan. 27 2023 to Feb. 26. 2023

Eight of the top teams from across India have received a direct invite for the first season as they compete for the ultimate prize and the title of champion.

COD Mobile POVA Cup Invitational: Invited Teams and Details

The invited teams are as follows: 

• GodLike Esports
• Revenant Esports
• Anthem
• Team XO
• Nirvana Esports
• Team Rebirth
• 5 and a half men
• Team I2K Elite

Also Read: Orangutan Gaming Collaborates with TooYumm

The tournament will unfold over five weeks of intense action, kicking off with a round-robin stage where each team will face off against each other once.

• Fans will be treated to an exciting total of 28 matches.
• The top four teams from here will advance to the playoffs, where they will battle it out in a double-elimination bracket to secure a spot in the grand finale.
• The final showdown will be a nail-biting experience as the top two teams face off in the ultimate battle to claim victory and the title of champions in the CoD Mobile Pova Cup Season 1.

The tournament will be livestreamed on the Skyesports YouTube channel, in multiple languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and English, to ensure that everyone can enjoy the tournament in their preferred language. 

About TECNO 

TECNO Mobile stands as a high-end smartphone brand under TRANSSION Holdings. Embodying the essence of “Stop at Nothing,” TECNO is dedicated to unleashing cutting-edge technologies for forward-thinking individuals in global emerging markets. The brand offers elegantly designed products that inspire consumers to explore a realm of possibilities. TECNO, attuned to the diverse needs of consumers, delivers localized innovations, showcasing expertise in serving those who are “young at heart” and relentlessly pursuing excellence. The brand’s extensive portfolio encompasses smartphones, smart wearables, and IoT devices crafted for consumers in over 60 emerging markets worldwide.

About Skyesports 

Skyesports is a leading esports and gaming venture based in Chennai, renowned for hosting major esports tournaments. Founded in November 2018 by Shiva Nandy, Skyesports has quickly grown to become one of the largest esports companies in South Asia. Skyesports has an impressive range of original IPs, which include the Skyesports Championship, Skyesports League, Skyesports Grand Slam, Skyesports Skirmish Series, and more, through which Skyesports has touched millions of gamers across South Asia and beyond. Skyesports is a part of the digital entertainment and technology company, JetSynthesys.

Also Read: Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale LAN Garners Massive Success Uniting Indian Esports and Gaming Community in Mumbai

The Skyesports Championship 4.0, which happened at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai, has concluded with more than 5,000 people attending the one-day gaming and esports event.

The highlight of the Skyesports Championship 4.0 was the Streamers Showdown for CSGO, which saw 15 of the country’s best creators competing in the FPS title. The creators were split into three teams and competed for the trophy in front of a jam-packed arena.

Ultimately, Team Imported Jods, consisting of Paradox, Sway, Xyaa, Euphoria, and Jimmy Gaming finished on top. Besides the huge crowd at the Bombay Exhibition Center, The Streamers Showdown CSGO has more than 350,000 views on YouTube – an indication of the revival of the esports scene of the game which was once the epicenter of the huge gaming cafe culture in India.

Also Read: IESF’s 14th World Esports Championship: India to Take Part in CSGO, Tekken 7 and eFootball Titles

Skyesports Championship 4.0 Took Place Along with Pokemon Unite Open India Finals

The event included the Pokemon UNITE India Open National Finals, boasting a prize pool of Rs. 22,50,000. God’s Reign emerged victorious, defeating the reigning Indian champions, Revenant Esports, to claim the top spot and the majority of the prize pool.

In the fourth edition of the Skyesports Championship, teams from across SEA and South Asia competed in CSGO and Dota 2. Neon Esports, a Filipino organization, secured the Dota 2 championship, while Team NKT from SEA emerged as the CSGO winners.

Commenting on the exciting event, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports said, “CSGO and Dota 2 will be a huge part of our 2023 plans and as we look to revive the scene for both games, this event with 5,000 plus attendees was an indication that we are on the right track. Pokemon UNITE is also an up-and-coming MOBA title in the country. As the esports scene continues to mature in India, I am confident that these games will play a central part in its growth in the coming years.”

Besides this, the Skyesports Championship 4.0 featured booths for the leading innovator of gaming tech and gear Logitech G, Indian esports organization Revenant Esports, and gaming merchandise company Cybeart.

Skyesports also organized meet-and-greets with the creators for the fans attending the event. With Dynamo Gaming, Xyaa, Tbone, Fa2, Ankkita C, and more attending – it was a truly star-studded day in Mumbai. Lastly, several cosplayers graced their presence at the event and put up a show for the attendees.

The Skyesports Championship 4.0 was presented by AMD while Logitech G was the gaming partner. Cybeart was the official gaming chair partner.

About Skyesports

Skyesports is a leading esports and gaming venture based in Chennai, renowned for hosting major esports tournaments. Founded in November 2018 by Shiva Nandy, Skyesports has quickly grown to become one of the largest esports companies in South Asia. Skyesports has an impressive range of original IPs, which include the Skyesports Championship, Skyesports League, Skyesports Grand Slam, Skyesports Skirmish Series, and more, through which Skyesports has touched millions of gamers across South Asia and beyond. Skyesports is a part of the digital entertainment and technology company, JetSynthesys.

Also Read: Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale LAN Garners Massive Success Uniting Indian Esports and Gaming Community in Mumbai

‘Esportz Premier Series, India’s Yearlong Esports Championship’ is the flagship IP of Esportz.in, a leading Esports, Gaming, & Media wing of Gig Work Pvt Ltd. The second edition kicked off in January 2022 with 5 gaming titles including VALORANT, Rocket League, Street Fighter V, Free Fire MAX, and Clash Royale. From open for all qualifiers, 98 of the top esports athletes advanced to the Grand Finale, which was held over four days from January 3–6, 2023. The Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale was the first Esports LAN of 2023 and also the first one following the declaration that esports has been recognised by the Indian Government as “multi-sports,” which also implies that esports is now officially counted as a spectator sports event.

The event was supported by India’s first patented built-in massager backpack brand – EUME as the ‘Powered by’ sponsor, the beverage company Monster Energy as the ‘Official Energy Drink’ partner, Computer hardware manufacturer Cooler Master as the ‘Gaming’ partner, Peripherals manufacturer Rapoo as the ‘Peripheral’ partner, and Gaming hardware manufacturer ZOTAC Gaming as the ‘GPU’ partner.

Over the course of two days at the Grand Finale LAN of India’s Yearlong Epsorts Championship, attendees engaged throughout while enjoying action-packed matches by their favourite esports athletes on the Grand Stage, demonstrating the popularity of esports as spectator sports. In order to provide attendees and contestants with the best gaming experience possible, the event was managed by industry-leading event production and studios, including lighting, setup, design, audio, and equipment specialists. Every finalist made a spectacular entrance to the Grand Stage with a huge split-screen LED opening in the stage’s centre.

Furthermore, attendees had the opportunity to explore the venue’s numerous gaming experience zones, featuring state-of-the-art gaming consoles, PCs, virtual reality sets, and even racing simulators. Over the course of two days, multiple Meet & Greets allowed fans to interact with some of the most prominent figures in gaming and esports, including Xyaa, HyraFlick, Meow16K, SharkShee, Jimmy Gaming, Willy Gaming, Insane, Syrus, GyroGod, Ronak, Sasuke, Ignite, Shonty, RDX Rocky, Harsh, OG Sway, GodL Kamaljeet, MintyGal, GodL Langoti, Hydra Emperor, Hydra BTS, and others.

With a tremendous footfall the Grand Finale in Mumbai also saw attendance from S8UL Sid Joshi, Kani Gaming, Dr. Rushindhra Sinha, Mohit Isanrey, Rite2Ace, S8UL Ankkita C, SK Rossi, OG Hades, SK Rossi, HellRanger, KappA, Assassins ARMY, and many others.

Santosh Smith, Director of Capital Group, said: “Throughout the yearlong cycle, we at esportz.in strived to cater the finest experience to the Indian Esports and Gaming Community, both online and offline. Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale was set as the inaugural LAN of 2023 and the first esports event since esports has been recognised by the Indian Government. We aimed to showcase the potential of esports as spectator sports throughout the year and the Grand Finale, and we want to thank the publishers, sponsors, players, fans, gamers, creators, and influencers for their support in making it a successful one while demonstrating the same.”

The first two days were held online, and the winners were Orangutan Elite for Free Fire MAX, Pineapple Cake for Rocket League, Jeferson Andrey Ortiz Rayo for Clash Royale, and Bhagwant ‘B3’ Singh Bagh for Street Fighter V, while the VALORANT was held on a LAN. Six teams from across India congregated in Mumbai: ROG Academy, Gods Reign, Revenant Esports (RNT), Lethal Esports (LE), Reckoning Esports (RGE), and Oh Bey (Enigma Gaming) to compete for the Yearlong Championship trophy.

Also Read: Orangutan Gaming Collaborates with TooYumm

Valorant Grand Finale

Revenant Esports are the Grand Champions of Esportz Premier Series VALORANT

• ROG Academy, one of the youngest new teams, faced up against one of the audience favourites Gods Reign featuring Simar “Psy” Sethi and company in the opening round. The result, a surprise 2-0 victory for ROG Academy, highlighted the core of the Esportz Premier Series as a platform for amateurs, professionals, and beginners alike—a place where anybody can go pro in esports.
• With players from Velocity Gaming and Enigma Gaming joining forces, Oh Bey was one of the event’s star-studded rosters and was regarded as one of the dream teams of Indian VALORANT to ever exist: Excali, HellFF, DeathMaker, Antidote, RVK, and HellFF, with LordBathura as their Coach. Although, with no proven history of this powerhouse line-up together on paper but carrying such firepower, they performed as anticipated and sent Reckoning Esports home 2-0 in the Quarter Finals. However, in their following round, they suffered a 2-1 loss against tournament favourites Revenant Esports, which secured RNT a Grand Finale berth.
• Lethal Esports had a clean run with 2-0 in the Quarter Finals against ROG Academy and locked their slot as well to face Revenant Esports in the BO5 Grand Finale.
• With BO5 on the hand and RNT appearing to have the odds in their favour, Lethal Esports players stepped up big time individually, bringing the first Map of Pearl itself to overtime and securing in favour.
• RNT immediately responded, winning the following two maps, Icebox and Haven, to take a 2-1 lead in the Series.
• While it appeared like RNT had the advantage at the moment and may win the series, Lethal immediately stepped up with Kheltuzad of LE sensing the situation and making moves. Giving everyone a decider Map 5 of Breeze.
• JoshS and Paradox of RNT both brought their A games on the final map and although it was a close match, RNT managed to defeat Lethal Esports 13-10. Ultimately, the RNT roster comprising Whimp, Blackhawk, Paradox, Ching, and Josh won the Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale with a 3-2 victory series victory.

Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale LAN Crowd cheering their favourite esports players and teams

The energetic cheers from the boisterous LAN crowd during the Finals, supporting both Lethal Esports and Revenant Esports, added a highly encouraging element to the climax. Fans fervently backed their favorite teams and players as the maps progressed into the crucial phase of the Best of Five championships, experiencing a mix of nerve-wracking and exhilarating emotions.

To further enhance the gaming entertainment aspect of the Grand Finale, two Influencer showdowns featured some of the most renowned creators. Orangutan Elite emerged as the victors of the Esportz Premier Series Grand Finale for Free Fire MAX, with Jonty, OldMonk, Pahadi Gaming, Mr Jay, and Duker, earning the Yearlong Championship trophy on the Grand Stage.