Gaming
Gaming platform A23 becomes associate title sponsor of PVL 2022
Mumbai: Online gaming platform A23 has announced that it will be the associate title sponsor for the forthcoming Rupay Prime Volleyball League (PVL) 2022, amping up the excitement quotient for one of the fast-growing franchise-led sporting leagues in the country. This year, PVL will be broadcasted live on Sony Six and Sony Ten 3 with live streaming on SPNI’s OTT platform Sony LIV.
PVL returns after a two-year break and A23, as an official title sponsor of the games, intends to support and encourage a team sport like volleyball to the forefront and connect the nation with a common spirit. A23 also hopes to build and enhance its reputation as the most preferred online gaming platform for users with a passion for serious online gaming. “This association will offer A23 access to key PVL players from the league, television spots and strategic in-stadia branding, showcasing the brand as a professional responsible gaming platform for gamers to harness their skills in becoming a champion of the game,” said the statement.
“It is a privilege for the Prime Volleyball League to be powered by a leading online gaming platform like A23. It is great to see that A23 has taken keen interest and invested in a sport that is fast-paced, exciting and perfectly matched for our young and dynamic nation,” said Baseline Ventures MD Tuhin Mishra, on behalf of the PVL. “Volleyball and online gaming have made significant strides in recent years and we hope such partnerships continue to mutually benefit each other.”
Beginning on 5 February, the league will be held in Hyderabad and will feature seven franchises from seven different cities ― Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, and Kolkata Thunderbolts. The grand finale of the league will be held on 27 February, culminating in three weeks of high voltage, competitive and exciting action.
“The collaboration with Prime Volleyball League comes at a perfect time for us in our attempt to build further on our already existing brand as a market leader in the gaming space,” stated Head Digital Works founder and CEO Deepak Gullapalli. “I hope the road ahead promises exciting propositions for our A23 users as Volleyball will give us a chance to support the sport in the years to come, and in turn, gain substantial traction for our brand.”
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.
