Vodafone-Idea Aims for 'Gaming Glory' with eSports Tournament and More

Vodafone-Idea is betting big on the gaming space, focusing to assist a comprehensive entertainment experience to its customers. The company says that its strategic approach involves a combination of value-added services and income generation, serving the various needs of Indian gamers. Earlier this month, Vi announced the launch of its first ever grassroots eSports tournament. 

"Vi Game to Fame highlights the company’s commitment to enable exciting immersive digital experiences for its customers and foray into gaming with a comprehensive mobile gaming platform – Vi Games. Vi Games today, offers many premium and free online games across Cloud Gaming, Casual Gaming, eSports, AAA Games, Multi-Player Games and more, that can be played on the Vi App," the firm said in a statement. 

"Vi’s continuous efforts towards network enhancement have resulted in increased average 4G data speeds exceeding 10mbps. The availability of affordable data has democratized mobile gaming, supported by the rising penetration of affordable yet high-quality mobile devices. Users can now easily access games with enhanced RAM/ROM configurations that support rich gaming experiences," said Avneesh Khosla, Chief Marketing Officer, Vi. 

Vodafone-Idea ventured into mobile gaming in 2022 with new gaming experience. According to the company, Vi Games has evolved into three distinct services: hyper Casual games for casual gamers, mobile cloud gaming for mid-core games who enjoy complex and rich graphics-led games and Esports for the crore gamers who like to challenge others. Khosla added, "All three services offer high-quality games with multiplayer capabilities and tournaments, providing users with an engaging and immersive experience while capitalizing on the increasing popularity of mobile gaming across various demographics."

Vi Games offers a huge array of games catering to both casual and serious gamers. The gaming portfolio features three key offerings: hyper-casual H5 games, esports, and the mobile cloud gaming service known as Cloud Play. Non-metro regions have driven growth in utilization, with states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal contributing around 65% of Vi Games total utilization, as per the company. 

The most played games are in the Hyper Casual category, with favorites including Quick Carrom, Solitaire Pro, Fruit Chop, Cricket Bash, and Bubble Wipeout. Quick Carrom, Vi claims to have recorded 1.2 crore gameplays, while Solitaire Pro and fruit Chop have each been played more than 1 crore times, followed by Cricket bash and bubble Wipeout. On Cloud Play, there has been increased interest in Racing and Action games, with popular titles including Asphalt 9, Modern Combat 5, Hitman Sniper, Shadow Fight and Gravity Rider Zero. This was a completely new category.