Director of Department of Youth Resources and Sports, Kethosituo Sekhose today announced that the Department of Youth Resources and Sports, in collaboration with the E-Sports Association of Nagaland (ESAN) has launched the Hornbill E-Sports Championship Season 2, a flagship event under the Hornbill Festival 2025 that continues to position Nagaland as a rising hub for competitive gaming and youth engagement.

The Director highlighted that in its second edition, the Championship has grown in both scale and participation, reflecting the rapid development of E-Sports across the region and the country. The Grand finals would be hosted on December 8 and 9 at IG Stadium, Kohima, featuring top E-Sports athletes and teams from across India.

This year, the Championship boasts an impressive total prize pool of Rs 10,00,000 distributed across five major E-Sports disciplines.

Game Titles & Participation includes BGMI with 16 qualifying teams (1 from Nagaland, 4 from Manipur, 7 from Assam, 1 from Bihar, 1 from Mizoram, 2 from West Bengal). The Prize Pool is Rs 4,50,000.

This year they have also included Moba Legends 5v5  where  8 teams qualified.  (2 from Nagaland, 1 each from Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, Kerala, and 2 from Assam)

For this the Prize Pool is Rs 3,00,000 and Rs1,00,000 worth of Diamonds

The Individual Title includes: E-Chess – 11 athletes with Prize Pool of Rs 75,000; E-Football – 14 athletes and Prize Pool: Rs 1,00,000 – FC 25 – 60 registered players and Prize Pool: Rs 75,000.

The online qualifiers was conducted from October 16 to November 9 where they witnessed remarkable participation with 512 teams and 240 individual competitors, marking one of the largest E-Sports registrations in the state to date.

He also highlighted last year’s success of hosting the game and expressed his enthusiasm for this edition to be a success too.

Their biggest challenge they faced last year was the connectivity but with better connection this time , they hope to it to be held without any hassle, he said.

He said this year they could not bring in big sponsors because of the logistic problems and hoped that next year they would create something bigger as youths are interested in E-Sports to express themselves. He expressed his gratitude to the Chief Minister of Nagaland for allowing them to continue this year too.

He hoped that this would be one area where Nagaland state can create a Centre of Excellence as they had learnt that Nagaland and Mizoram are two of the fastest growing state in the country who are catching up with this online gaming. He said Nagas have game developers and graphics designers working with the best companies in India.

Sekhose added that this industry is a billion dollar industry and would go bigger and bigger only and hoped the state would not miss the grabs wagon.

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He also announced that for the first time the event would be followed by E-Sports Music Festival 2025. In a first for the Hornbill Festival, the E-Sports Music Festival would follow the E-Sports closing ceremony on December 9. This curated celebration seeks to blend digital entertainment with contemporary music culture, providing an unforgettable experience for youth and fans alike.

The performing artists include Polar Lights (Nagaland); Abdon Mech (Nagaland); Guru Gee (Mizoram); and Zephyrtone (Pune).

He informed that the Hornbill E-Sports Championship is emerging as an important milestone in the sports industry, reflecting the State Government’s commitment to recognizing and nurturing the talents of the youth.

E-Sports offers a unique platform for young people in the State to showcase their abilities with confidence, and we are dedicated to supporting them from the early stages of this fast-growing sector. The State Government aims to ensure that our talented youth are not left behind but are encouraged to compete, grow, and lead in this dynamic arena.

The Department has invited all E-Sports enthusiasts, supporters, and festival visitors to come and witness the excitement of the Championship and be part of this rising movement.