8Bit Creatives is expanding into live production with its appointment as the official broadcast & production agency for S4 of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL), bringing esports-style production, dual-language feeds and data-driven storytelling to the franchise chess league.
The production will take place in Bengaluru from 5 to 13 September 2026, with 8Bit Creatives delivering end-to-end live broadcast production across all nine days of the league. The agency will also serve as the official photography and videography partner.
The fourth season will bring the GCL to Bengaluru for the first time, with six franchises featuring some of the biggest names in international chess. The player line-up includes Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, Viswanathan Anand, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Javokhir Sindarov, alongside grandmasters such as Anish Giri, Arjun Erigaisi, Levon Aronian, Wei Yi, Nihal Sarin and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
The season will also feature leading women players, including Divya Deshmukh, Koneru Humpy, Zhu Jiner, Kateryna Lagno, Harika Dronavalli and Bibisara Assaubayeva, along with a new generation of rising chess players.
The franchises will compete in a double round-robin format across more than 30 matches at The Lalit Ashok from 5 to 13 September. The GCL’s six-board team format brings together men’s and women’s boards with icon players and juniors on every team.
Triveni Continental Kings enter the season as the league’s most decorated franchise, having won the title in its first two editions.
8Bit Creatives will bring its gaming and esports production expertise to the chess broadcast with a 30-plus-camera deployment across three halls. The production will include Jib and Steadicam coverage, dedicated cameras for individual boards and player reactions, as well as two independent live feeds in English and Hindi for the first time in the league’s history.
The agency will also use its in-house chess data capabilities to integrate live DGT board feeds with real-time evaluation graphics, player statistics and analysis boards. An Led-driven in-arena experience will further extend the broadcast into the venue by presenting live data and storytelling to audiences.
The production will provide global live coverage across the league’s official platforms, supported by daily highlights and an official after-movie documenting the season’s key moments.
“Over the years, 8Bit Creatives has grown by exploring new ways to build meaningful experiences around gaming, creators and entertainment, and this feels like a natural next step in that journey. The Global Chess League gives us an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to sports broadcasts and explore new ways of engaging audiences around the game,” said 8Bit Creatives co-founder Animesh Agarwal.
GCL commissioner Gourav Rakshit explains, “S4 is our biggest yet, and the fan experience is just as important as the action on the boards. With 8Bit Creatives, we’ve found a partner who approaches chess broadcasts with the same passion and attention to detail as top sports productions, always focused on the viewer. From the excitement in the six-board arena to the experience at home, this season will look and feel unlike anything the League has done before.”
The appointment marks the latest step in 8Bit Creatives’ evolution from a gaming talent management agency into a broader creator and entertainment company. Founded in 2018, the agency represents gaming creators including Naman Mathur, also known as Mortal, Payal Dhare, Parv Singh, Krutika Ojha and Gulrez Khan. The agency has also executed campaigns for more than 100 brands across categories including apparel, FMCG, personal care, Horeca and entertainment.
For S4, 8Bit Creatives will operate a purpose-built production control room at the venue, with dedicated studio programming and commentary across both language feeds. The broadcast will cover the league’s key moments, from the opening moves to the crowning of the S4 champions on 13 September.
