KRAFTON India (https://www.krafton.com/), the regional division of the global game developer, has announced a significant expansion of its Esports College Campus Tour for the 2026-27 season. The initiative will now reach 256 colleges across India, doubling its previous footprint and aiming to broaden competitive gaming opportunities for university students nationwide.
The 2026-27 tour, which commenced on October 10 at IIT Kharagpur and IIT Varanasi, is scheduled to run through March 2027. It will feature tournaments for popular mobile titles, including BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) and Real Cricket, spanning four geographical zones. Each zone will host events in 64 colleges, facilitating wider participation in organized esports.
KRAFTON India: Expanding Collegiate Esports Engagement
This expansion builds on the program’s inaugural success, which engaged over 75,000 students across 128 colleges. The increased reach underscores KRAFTON India’s strategy to integrate esports within the collegiate ecosystem, providing a platform for students to represent their institutions and pursue competitive gaming ambitions.
Karan Pathak, Associate Director – Esports at KRAFTON India, highlighted the growing interest in competitive gaming among college students. “Our previous Campus Tour demonstrated the significant appetite for esports within higher education,” Pathak stated. “By doubling our reach to 256 colleges, we aim to provide more students with direct exposure to organized competitive gaming and a clear pathway for progression to higher-level tournaments.”
The tournaments will be conducted in collaboration with esports organizers Nodwin Gaming and Upthrust Esports. Events are designed to align with existing college festivals, simplifying student participation and logistical coordination. College festival committees will manage the on-ground activities with support from the tournament organizers, while KRAFTON India will fund the prize pools.
Structured Pathway to Professional Play
The Campus Tour is structured to offer participating teams a clear competitive journey. Winners from individual colleges will advance through zonal rounds, culminating in the Grand Finals. The top 16 teams will then proceed to the College Campus Championship. A notable incentive for the winning team of the championship is a direct invitation to the invited stage of KRAFTON India’s official tournaments in 2027, offering a direct route to professional play.
This initiative reflects ongoing trends in the Indian gaming industry (https://technosports.co.in/), where collegiate esports is increasingly recognized as a foundational element for fostering new talent and expanding the overall player base. The 2026-27 KRAFTON India Esports College Campus Tour is positioned to further solidify collegiate esports as a significant segment within the country’s competitive gaming landscape.
