Gaming
ASUS India takes the nostalgia route in its latest campaign ‘Khelon Ka Pitara’
Mumbai: ASUS India, a Taiwanese technology giant and the leading gaming brand in India, today launched the new campaign “Khelon Ka Pitara” featuring Ronit Roy as the protagonist. The campaign takes viewers on an emotional journey, exploring how millennials have witnessed the transformation of gaming devices in the country. Through this evocative video, the brand strives to bring back the excitement and joy that millennials felt when they played games and inspire them to start playing again. It is all about reigniting that passion for gaming with #ResumewithAlly.
The video campaign traces the evolution from the early days of handheld battery-powered devices to exhilarating multiplayer gaming marathons in cyber cafes, weaving a narrative that mirrors the growth of gaming technology over the past few decades. It not only showcases the competitive spirit but also captures the deep sense of satisfaction and joy experienced while immersing in the world of gaming.
Commenting on the launch of “Khelon Ka Pitara,” Asus India marketing head consumer PC & gaming, systems group, Paramjeet Singh said, “In the dynamic landscape of technological evolution proliferating across human generations, we are proud to introduce our latest campaign, “Khelon Ka Pitara. The campaign is designed to establish a meaningful connection with the millennials, who were the first generation to start gaming and facilitate a bridge to their Gen Z and Alpha kids, who are currently immersed in the advanced stage of gaming. ROG Ally along with this campaign signifies a distinctive and shared gaming affinity between the millennial generation and their progeny, aiming to foster mutual interest in gaming, bridging the generational gap and creating a lasting bond amongst them.”
Conceptualised by the Whizzstudios, the video opens with a heartwarming scene featuring a father-son duo engaged in playful banter. The son engrossed in playing on the ROG Ally, while the father, eager to join in, asks his son to share the handheld console. The son hesitates, believing his father might be out of touch with gaming, but the father’s nostalgic recollections transport them both through the years of shared gaming experiences. The video culminates with Ronit Roy, the father figure, inspiring viewers to rekindle their gaming journeys.
The Indian online gaming ecosystem has received growing acceptance as a preferred mode of entertainment. With the advent of technology many gaming-focused devices, including desktops, laptops, monitors, and consoles like ROG Ally have made inroads in the market. ROG Ally is the handheld Windows gaming device aimed at elevating and redefining the gaming experience on the move with its spectacular flagship features and innovation making the AAA gaming experience all the more immersive while the user is on the move.
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.
