In a surprising move, Team Vitality has announced its India expansion in an Instagram post today. They are the second international team after Noble Esports to get involved in the Indian Esports scene recently. However, this is not the first time Team Vitality has made headlines in connection to India.
Rewired.GG had invested €14 million into Team Vitality on November 29, and the funds were to be used for the expansion of the French team in India. Although nothing much was revealed about the expansion at that time, it was confirmed that Team Vitality was to come to India.
According to a press release by Rewired.GG in November 2019, the €14 million funds are to be used to "support the continued growth of Team Vitality as the team pursues expansion across India, where it will be acquiring new players and launching a network of esports academies." At that time the esports scene in India was still growing and such a huge amount seemed ridiculous but the present time justifies it.
We are totally convinced that there's a lot of potential in India because there is a very big interest, not only in esports, but in gaming. A lot of people are very passionate there, but it's hard to predict the time it takes for a European brand to be seen as legitimate to an Indian audience.
Nicholas Maurer, Team Vitality CEO
It would now be interesting to see how Team Vitality shapes itself up in India.