Gaming
Ampverse DMI & Orangutan enter multi-year partnership deal
Mumbai: India’s collegiate esports and gaming IP, College Rivals, owned by Ampverse DMI, has forged a strategic alliance with Orangutan, a leading esports organisation in India. College Rivals, remains committed to offering professional gaming prospects to college students and has awarded its inaugural professional gaming contract to Sahil Nagpal, a student from Jalandhar, Punjab.
He demonstrated his prowess during season one representing the potential and caliber that this College IP aims to tap, cultivate and unearth as part its commitment to foster grassroot esports talents and provide them with a life changing platform and experience Joining Orangutan’s Academy BGMI team, Sahil Nagpal’s achievement not only fulfills his dream of becoming a professional player but also serves as inspiration for millions of others.
While College Rivals will continue to empower college gamers, paving their path towards professional success in season two, the chosen players will also get a shot at playing for Orangutan as part of this strategic multi year partnership.
Ampverse DMI, India country head Ashwin Haryani revealed the importance of the partnership, “Ampverse DMI and Orangutan are embarking on a holistic partnership. They understood the concept of us building a talent hunt and making sure the top winners are given a platform to perform at a national and international stage. Beyond competition, our alliance also aims to enrich the esports ecosystem with an exclusive BGMI Team, a merchandise line and brand presence on the jersey of the team, every time they step out to play.”
As part of this partnership, Ampverse DMI and Orangutan will jointly co-own Rivals Ape X, a youth team beginning with a BGMI lineup that will include at least one player from every College Rivals season moving forward. Rivals Ape X, featuring some of the nation’s exciting up and coming players will aim to dazzle nationally and internationally in BGMI tournaments.
As part of the selection process, Orangutan had tried out all the eight BGMI College Rivals finalists, from season one through a trial and Sahil was chosen on the basis of his in-game skills, game sense and overall team work.
Orangutan co-founder Jai Shah expressed his enthusiasm about the initiative, “I am incredibly excited to introduce Rivals Ape X, our Academy Esports Team, in collaboration with Ampverse DMI and College Rivals. This collaboration marks a significant step in our mission to nurture and develop young, hungry talent, providing them with a bigger platform to showcase their skills. Together with Ampverse DMI, we aim to create a pathway for the next generation of esports champions and build a community where passion, skill, and ambition can thrive. Together, we’re setting the stage for the future of competitive gaming.”
College Rivals season two will see 50 plus colleges participating across 22 cities in both offline and online competition format. Any college student from pan India can register and compete as the preliminary competitions have already been rolled out from 15 July along with diverse entertainment experiences tailored for college students including opportunities to become college ambassadors, purchase exclusive College Rivals merchandise and other interesting initiatives in a groundbreaking gaming format never seen before in India
The competitions will take place for three gaming titles – BGMI, Valorant, and EA FC 24- with the grand finale being played in February, 2025. The winners from monthly qualifiers will compete in a grand finale for the ultimate battle and a prize pool of up to ₹50,00,000 along with the contract.
Gaming
Dream Sports sees 100 plus exits after gaming ban forces overhaul
Company splits into eight units as real money gaming law hits revenue.
MUMBAI: For a company built on fantasy leagues, reality has suddenly rewritten the rulebook. More than 100 employees have exited Dream Sports, the parent of Dream11, after the company reorganised its operations following India’s ban on real money online gaming. The shake up came after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 came into force in August 2025, prohibiting games where users deposit money expecting winnings. The regulation struck at the heart of the fantasy gaming industry and dramatically affected Dream Sports’ core business, wiping out about 95 percent of its revenue and all of its profits.
In response, the Mumbai based company shifted into what chief executive officer Harsh Jain described as “startup mode”, splitting its operations into eight independent business units in December.
Around 700 employees were reassigned across these newly formed ventures based on their experience and interests. However, roughly 15 percent opted to leave the company.
A spokesperson for Dream Sports said many of those who exited were experienced professionals accustomed to running scaled businesses rather than early stage ventures.
“Since some of these employees were experienced with running high scale businesses and not startups, around 15 percent chose to leave and join other scaled companies or start ventures of their own,” the spokesperson said.
Despite the departures, the company noted that the attrition rate is only slightly higher than its earlier level of around 10 percent before the ban. Dream Sports now has close to 950 employees and is not currently hiring, choosing instead to focus on stabilising its existing workforce.
The restructuring has transformed Dream Sports from a fantasy gaming company into a broader sports entertainment platform. The eight units now operate independently, each focusing on different segments of the sports and technology ecosystem.
These include Dream11, sports streaming platform Fancode, sports travel service DreamSetGo, mobile game Dream Cricket and artificial intelligence initiative Dream Sports AI, which includes sports analytics platform Dream Play.
Other ventures include fintech product Dream Money, open source initiative Dream Horizon and the philanthropic arm Dream Sports Foundation.
As part of cost saving efforts, Dream Sports also relocated its headquarters from Bandra Kurla Complex to Worli earlier this year. The new office, called Dream Sports Stadium, brings teams from its various brands together under one roof to improve collaboration and operational efficiency.
Jain had earlier said the company removed bonus lock in timelines for employees hired in recent years, allowing those who wished to leave to exit with pro rata payouts.
“We want people who are fully into the startup mode and willing to work for it, and we will share that reward if it comes,” he said.
Founded in 2008 by Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, Dream Sports was last valued at 8 billion dollars after raising 840 million dollars in 2021 from investors including Falcon Edge Capital, DST Global, D1 Capital Partners, RedBird Capital Partners, Tiger Global Management, TPG and Footpath Ventures.
The new gaming law has forced several companies in the fantasy gaming sector to either shut down or pivot their business models, signalling a significant reset for one of India’s fastest growing digital entertainment industries.
