Karan Pathak, Associate Director of Esports at KRAFTON India, sat down with SportsTiger for an exclusive conversation during the BGIS 2025 Finals in Kolkata. In this interview, he shared his thoughts on the growth of BGIS, challenges faced at venues, and teased some exciting developments for upcoming tournaments like BMPS 2025.

Karan Pathak on BGIS 2025, BMPS 2025 Prize Pool Increase, and More

1) Speaking on the evolution of BGIS from Mumbai to Kolkata, Pathak said:

It's a beautiful journey because year on year it's become bigger. With Mumbai, I think, being the first land for BGMI, it was a huge and humongous audience. The same love was seen in Hyderabad, and now Kolkata overwhelmed us with day one, wherein I think close to 7000 people were in attendance.

And to be very honest, we weren't prepared for 7,000 people. We were prepared for up to 5,000 people. But we were able to provide them with additional water stalls. Because the fans were standing in the heat. We could not get everyone inside. But fortunately, we were able to create progress and stand there, and they could enjoy the moment. But year on year, the participation increases, the viewership increases, the competition is getting bigger and better, and you can see the best teams in the finals. So it's awesome.

2) With crowd numbers constantly rising, Pathak addressed the idea of using larger venues:

This is one of the biggest in Kolkata. Apart from this is Eden Gardens. But I think the KKR (IPL team) is the best to fill it up. We still aren't there. Similarly, I think in Gujarat, we filled up one stadium. I know it's possible, but venues aren't really available. With an open venue, what happens is that the weather factor comes into play, which has actually become unpredictable right now. So, given that fact, we're taking the biggest indoor venues in the city, and then we proceed forward.

3) BGIS 2025 surprised everyone with a prize pool of ₹3.2 crore, thanks to esports crates. So, what about BMPS 2025?

We have something exciting for BMPS 2025. Yes, it is true. We are trying to do something different. At Krafton, we always try to do something innovative, better for the fans. And the feedback from the fans actually helps us decide what we should be doing for 2026. So yes, you will be able to see something in BMPS 2025. We'll announce it. And it'll be something different, for sure.

4) When asked about more open tournaments in the BGMI H2 roadmap, Pathak kept it brief but hopeful:

For that, you'll have to wait for the BGMI H2 roadmap. Okay, but there are a lot of third-party tournaments that are actually hosting open dollars now, and you will be able to see that.