Skyesports Championship 2025: LAN Cancelled, Prize Pool Slashed — A Community Betrayed?

The Skyesports Championship 2025 was shaping up to be a landmark tournament for the Indian esports scene. With over 90 matches already played and some of India’s top BGMI rosters battling it out, the finale was meant to be a grand LAN event in Bengaluru, backed by a promised prize pool of ₹40 lakh.

 

 

But as of now, two major developments have completely shifted the narrative.

First, the LAN finals were officially cancelled due to the ongoing India-Pakistan conflict — a move that the community largely understood and respected. After all, national security takes precedence, and the safety of players, staff, and fans must come first.

However, what followed has sparked outrage and disappointment across the esports community. 
Adding to the frustration is the fact that tournaments of similar or even larger prize pools have been executed entirely online in the past — including those with AMD, Gigabyte, and WD Black involved.

 

 

This move not only undermines the competitive integrity of the tournament but sends a poor message to the ecosystem at large: that organizers can move the goalposts mid-event and walk away with reduced responsibility.

Skyesports, led by Shiva Nandy, announced that the prize pool would be reduced to ₹15 lakh — a 62% cut — despite most of the tournament already being completed.

 

“This feels like taking advantage of the situation,” one team manager told us.

This decision raises critical questions:

Was this Reduction Necessary?

Even if we accept that sponsors were primarily paying for the LAN exposure, Skyesports has now saved a significant amount of money:

 

• No venue costs for three days
• No production or stage setup expenses
• No travel and accommodation for over 80 players and managers

In most cases, this is a budget running into tens of lakhs, now avoided entirely.

So, Why Reduce the Prize Pool?

We've seen several major esports tournaments operate online with larger prize pools — some with no LAN plans from the beginning. This isn’t unprecedented.

Could the Tournament Have Been Postponed?

Another question the community is asking: Why rush to finish the event online?
With over 100 matches already completed, postponing the LAN for a few weeks or months could’ve preserved the integrity of the event and honored the effort of players who’ve committed time, strategy, and resources for months.

Instead, finishing it off online with a slashed prize pool feels like a betrayal — and many are pointing fingers directly at Skyesports, calling it “unprofessional” and “exploitative.”

This isn’t the first time the organization has been under fire for controversial decisions, and unfortunately, this episode only deepens that reputation.

Final Word

Yes, the LAN being cancelled due to national tension is understandable. But dropping the prize pool at the last moment — especially after saving operational costs — is not just bad optics, it’s bad ethics.

If Indian esports is to grow sustainably and earn the trust of teams, players, and fans, tournament organizers must uphold transparency, accountability, and commitment.

Otherwise, we risk turning our biggest opportunities into our biggest embarrassments.