With the gaming and esports industry on the rise a mobile networking platform for the community has never been more relevant than it is today. In India, the esports sector still has a long way to go but an integral part in the development of this industry is to strengthen the community and build a viable gaming ecosystem.
To know more about this, Mr Sagar Nair, Co-Founder & CEO, Qlan spoke exclusively to SPOGO about creating a platform for the esports/gaming community, contributing towards the growth of the industry, providing a solution to the issues prevailing within the esports community, the functioning and tech implementation of Qlan, helping aspiring gamers get access to job opportunities and his future goals.
Q 1) As one of the co-founders of QLAN, what motivated you to create a one-stop networking platform that would be dedicated to the esports/gaming community?
It was with our first initiative in the industry. We started interacting with the gaming and esports community on a daily basis through The Times of Esports. Gamers, pro and aspiring esports athletes, esports orgs and businesses engaged in this space. With each conversation, we realised that there are a lot of unanswered questions that are visible barriers to the overall growth and advancement of various stakeholders in this space.
We started answering these questions backed by a lot of targeted interactions within the community, months of research and analysis, surveys and lastly an extensive understanding of the platforms that already exist and gamers actively use.
We realised a digital platform that offers problem-solving features and brings together every stakeholder with an intent to create and exchange value is the way to go, and that’s how Qlan was born.
Q 2) How is QLAN contributing towards the growth of the esports industry?
It is a well-known fact that the Indian gaming and esports industry is on a swift upward trajectory. Be it the number of gamers, brands and companies operating currently, in tandem with a massive rise in gaming-focused start-ups and game publishers, the Indian gaming scene is set to witness an exponential rise.
However, it is in the nascent stage that a foundation can be laid. With Qlan, what we aim to do is create a robust and sustainable ecosystem that enables and empowers everyone seeking entry and progress in this space. Qlan will enable gamers, content creators, skilled professionals, esports squads and orgs to make connections seamlessly. Gamers meeting gamers and creating Squads, gaming orgs to scout for their new rosters, a targeted and receptive audience for gaming content creators and a willing user base for tournament organizers to market their tournaments and IPs and lastly skilled professionals like designers, developers, coaches, analysts and more that are an integral part of the community will be able to access career and job opportunities.
This cohesive system, once in place, will develop into a well-oiled gaming-only community creating varied opportunities, ensuring overall growth.
Q3) What are the issues that are currently prevailing in the esports community and where does QLAN fit in as a solution to those problems?
Existing issues can be summed up into these broad buckets:
Credible connections: Qlan’s AI-enabled matchmaking feature will ensure impeccable connections among gamers, it is one of the platform's USPs.
Lack of recognition: The community is very vocal about their need for the recognition that they deserve, Qlan is a platform that will recognize and showcase the skills and qualifications of all the entities that are a part of Qlan. If you’re a gamer, a content creator, a caster, a team manager or any other role that exists in the community, you will be able to show that to the world.
Showcasing skills: Gamers can sync their in-game statistics of 10+ games across mobile, PC & Console on their Qlan profile. With each gamer's true skills on display, Qlan aims to be the go-to platform for gamers to find the right match, to connect, team up or compete with, and in the future get scouted by larger orgs.
Qlan will also empower the community with an easy to create CV within the app which can also be downloaded offline.
Fragmented community: The idea with Qlan is a thriving and collaborative community where each stakeholder coexists. Create purpose-driven connections and facilitate overall development.
Q 4) How does the QLAN platform function and what kind of tech is integrated to build a platform such as this?
Think of Qlan as any other social networking platform that is available and used today, but dedicated to gamers and esports enthusiasts. They’ll find it easier and more relevant to navigate through and find value in.
The app is built on react native and will rely heavily on AI and ML to forge a deeper understanding of our users to deliver a tailored experience. The data will also allow us to roll out exactly those features and integrations that our users will want in the future.
Q 5) How does QLAN help aspiring players discover a job and career opportunities in esports gaming?
We plan on launching our dedicated Jobs feature in our future updates. Jobs on Qlan will be a two-step process for job providers to put their requirements and job seekers to apply to those with just a single click.
Q 6) What are some of your future goals and ambitions with QLAN? How do you plan to accomplish them?
Qlan envisions becoming the most trusted and secured platform for the gaming and esports community in the coming days. This will only be achieved by meeting our immediate milestones, starting with a well-executed launch and finding the product-market fit.
The future will be a combined effort of our vision and what our users want. Our efforts here are to reach out to as many stakeholders as possible, gamers, developers, publishers and orgs and take their feedback in order to solidify our product; Qlan – The Gamer's Social Network, suggestions as inclusive and impactful as possible will always be welcomed.
