Before GamerJi, esports tournaments in India ran on WhatsApp groups, Discord channels and a payment by Paytm. Soham Thacker saw a gap and turned it into a platform.
He joins the podcast to explain how an esports platform in India survives game bans, regulation and shifting creator economics, and why he is now expanding into the Middle East.
How do you build an esports platform in India? Soham Thacker’s core thesis
Soham Thacker started GamerJi in 2019 to organise a scattered, unregulated tournament scene. His thesis is that gaming is a long, sustainable technology business: automate the manual work, diversify across titles and monetise customers directly.
He argues that the sector has already seen its bottom. Clearer regulation, better content creators and government backing in regions like the Middle East point upward from here.
- Organise a messy market. GamerJi replaced tournaments run on social media groups with an automated platform.
- Never depend on one title. The BGMI ban hurt the whole ecosystem and taught the team to diversify.
- Pivot when the model limits you. In 2021 the company moved from real money gaming to virtual currency and subscriptions.
- Retention beats scheduling. Players want to play when they want, not on a fixed tournament calendar.
How did GamerJi start and grow?
Soham launched GamerJi with two titles, PUBG and Clash, after securing licences from Tencent and Supercell. Early tournaments were run by a small team creating custom rooms by hand.
Growth came quickly during the first phase of COVID. The platform went from roughly 40,000 to 45,000 registered users in March 2020 to about a million by August 2020. A first funding round followed in November 2020.
How do you scale a gaming platform past manual work?
His rule is that a tech business cannot scale while manual steps remain. The team used the first round to strengthen the technology, as the home-built platform struggled with servers and scale.
- Automated matchmaking using player data.
- Automated tournament conduct and registration audits.
- Automated winner declaration, replacing screenshot uploads with bots that capture game data directly.
Why did GamerJi move away from real money gaming?
Soham says real money gaming made it hard to secure licences for other games, and it carried legal boundaries and grey areas. In 2021 the company dropped the model for virtual currency and a subscription.
Players now get a virtual currency for access and a reward currency that can be redeemed for vouchers, similar to a credit card rewards system. As a side benefit, the platform could serve players under 18, who cannot receive cash prizes.
What did the BGMI ban teach esports founders about retention?
The ban and relaunch of BGMI hurt influencers, publishers and platforms alike, and GamerJi was collateral damage. The lesson was to onboard more titles instead of depending on one.
He also learned that gamers want more than vouchers. They want bragging rights, stats and the freedom to play when they like. Offering many tournaments at all times lifted retention.
- Add more titles so one game’s fortunes do not decide yours.
- Offer tournaments on demand, not only on a weekly schedule.
- Build player stats and bragging rights into the product.
- Invest in influencers and digital marketing to build trust and awareness.
What does the esports landscape in India look like?
Soham describes four layers: publisher-led offline tournaments, team and brand sponsorships, virtual tournament platforms like GamerJi, and content creation. He says Free Fire leads in India, followed by BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile, and that mobile accounts for more than 90 percent of games here.
Outside India the picture differs. In the Middle East the PC to mobile ratio is far more balanced, and in Southeast Asia PC is still around a quarter of play. Counter-Strike, Valorant, Rocket League and FIFA lead there.
Why is the Middle East attractive?
He says governments there are funding studios, events and bids for major tournaments, which lifts awareness and player spend. GamerJi has an entity there and works with about nine telecom and brand clients across the region.
What advice does Soham give founders in gaming?
He says data should outweigh gut feel, and that founders should research before starting and surround themselves with a team that knows more than they do. Gaming is a sustainable business, not a quick buck.
On the product side he sees a large gap for India-centric games and says becoming a professional gamer is as hard as becoming a professional cricketer. He expects gaming to rival media and entertainment gradually as Gen Z grows up.
Further reading and sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between esports and real money gaming?
Soham Thacker says the two were often lumped together, but esports is competitive video gaming while real money gaming involves cash stakes. Regulators have gradually begun to treat them differently.
Which games are most popular in India for esports?
According to Soham, Free Fire leads in India, followed by BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile. More than 90 percent of games played are on mobile.
Should a founder start a gaming company in India?
He says to research thoroughly and see gaming as a sustainable tech business rather than a quick win. India-centric games are still a big gap, and the Middle East offers a growing market.
Conclusion
Soham’s journey shows how a founder can organise a fragmented market, adapt when regulation changes and keep the product relevant to players. Diversify, automate and let data guide decisions.
If you are building in gaming, start by checking whether your model depends on a single title or a single regulatory interpretation.
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