The Apogee English Press recently sat down with Maneet Singh, Coordinator of the Gaming Club, and delved into their plans and preparations for Apogee ‘26.

Maneet explained that while the club traditionally focused on BOSM, Oasis, and APOGEE, it had recently expanded operations to include independent leagues and events like the Food Fest and BPL (BITS Premier League). He added that for this APOGEE, the club was organising five major tournaments and was shifting its focus heavily toward innovation. The lineup included mainstays like FIFA, Clash Royale, and Brawlhalla, alongside two new competitive events being introduced: ‘Boss Rush’ and a speedrunning tournament. According to Maneet, ‘Boss Rush’ challenged participants to defeat bosses in popular games such as God of War, Sekiro, and Black Myth, while the speedrunning tournament required competitors to achieve the best accumulated time across four distinct games. He also mentioned that the popular F1 racing setup, featuring a dedicated console and gaming wheel, would be returning this year.

Speaking of pre-fest preparations, Maneet said that the club followed standard logistical procedures, which involved communication with established vendors and internal meetings. He mentioned that tasks were delegated, such as sending the design head to poster meetings; however, he noted that a key operational challenge was managing junior members to ensure tasks were completed. Regarding funding, he explained that organising the events for APOGEE proved challenging due to a strict official budget of 15,000 rupees. This constraint necessitated a heavy reliance on securing external sponsorships. Maneet added that the club had successfully secured Monster, Gamerite, and Creo, and was also in talks with Cup Noodles and Niantic, the developer of Pokemon Go, who recently sponsored a similar festival at IIT Bombay.

He concluded by explaining that his focus was on achieving structural changes for long-term stability. According to Maneet, the current operations were too reliant on sponsor money and expensive vendor rentals. To move away from this model, he had initiated discussions with CoStAA and the CRC (Corroboration and Review Committee) to secure an independent club budget. He mentioned that the primary goal was to purchase permanent equipment to drastically reduce rental costs and allow the club to host standalone events throughout the academic year.