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During the grand finals of the BGMI Showdown (BMSD) 2025 in Hyderabad, SportsTiger hada chance to speak with Karan Pathak, Associate Director of Esports at Krafton India. In an exclusive conversation with SportsTiger, Karan shared his insights on BGMI’s esports journey in 2025, the newly introduced transfer window, global points system, player loan rules for PMGC 2025, and what to expect from the much-awaited BGMI International Cup (BMIC) 2025.
Karan Pathak on BGMI 2025 Esports Journey, PMGC Player Loan Rule, BMIC 2025 & Global Points System
Q: Krafton is hosting four big BGMI events in 2025, with the biggest prize pool ever, three international slots, and one multinational event. How do you see this year for Indian BGMI esports?
"I’ve always said 2025 would be bigger and better, and I’m really thankful to the management and my teammates because we’ve been able to deliver on that promise. We’re hoping to make it even bigger and better going forward. Every time I say it, I mean it. Krafton is here to stay. The way our management and team are working, whatever we promise, we make sure to deliver, and we’ll keep doing that. Krafton is here to stay."
Q: There’s a Global Points section on the Krafton India website. Can you explain how it works?
"The global points for India/Korea/Japan, what we call BMIC 2025, will not be added to the system because that would be unfair to the entire lobby. BMSD 2025 is a tournament with 48 teams, all invited based on performance. It’s not just BGIS or BMPS teams; there are also third-party teams. If you’ve been performing well in tournaments, that’s how you get invited. So, BMSD is basically meant for top-performing teams."
Q: Can we expect any team to qualify for global tournaments through the Global Points system?
"From that points table, team owners or sponsors can easily identify which teams are consistently performing. It will also include results from third-party tournaments. From January onward, points from both official and third-party events will be added, so the system reflects overall consistency and performance across the board."
Q: Krafton recently announced a transfer window, which means teams won’t be locked for long periods. But what happens if a player retires midway, a team owner leaves, or the organization disbands?
"If a player retires, that’s a new situation, but the team will have to contact us (Krafton India). They can’t just replace someone from another team directly. They’ll need to request to add a new player or a free agent. If an organization shuts down, again, the team owner or IGL must reach out and inform us that operations are ending. If four players still want to continue playing together, they can, but unfortunately, they won’t be able to represent another organization."
Q: India has often been a little behind the global scene, like with new metas, maps such as Rondo, or even the points system. Now that India is playing on the global stage, what steps will Krafton take to align our scene with the global level?
"First thing: both games are different, and decisions are different. Once our development is complete and we’re ready, we’ll bring it here. We’re doing our best to improve our systems and stay aligned with the global scene."
Q: If a Korean or Japanese team already has a PMGC slot and wins another through BMIC 2025, that slot goes to the next-best team from that region’s PMGC points. So, if the BMSD 2025 winner also gets a PMGC slot through BMIC, will the extra slot go to the next-best team overall or the next-best Indian team?
"We’ll be posting an update about that on October 15 on our social media pages. There are around 15 possible combinations for such cases, so we’ll explain all of them clearly in that post to make it easier for everyone to understand."
Q: If the BMSD 2025 winner wants to loan or bring in new players for PMGC 2025, will that be allowed?
"That’s a really good question. Usually, loans are allowed if it’s a four-member squad. It should be permitted. I’m on board with that, but if your roster is already full and you try to make changes afterward for PMGC, then it’s a no. That won’t be allowed."
Q: What are your expectations from the BGMI International Cup 2025? How big do you think this event will be for Indian esports?
I see BMIC 2025 as a massive stage where Indian teams will get the chance to practice and perform against top global teams. We have teams like REJECT, one of the globally dominant teams, coming to BMIC, along with top Korean and Japanese teams. First of all, we believe in “Atithi Devo Bhava.” We’ll welcome them with respect. But at the same time, the competition will be tough and exciting.
