Gaming
Global Kartel partners with Ampverse DMI for College Rivals season two
Mumbai: Global Kartel, a marketing and advertising agency, has joined forces with Ampverse DMI for the second season of their innovative IP College Rivals, an Indian esports and entertainment college talent hunt.
Positioned as India’s largest esports talent hunt, College Rivals seamlessly blends music, pop culture, and comedy to create a unique experience. With Global Kartel and its youth marketing arm, BoomPanda on board, the IP will benefit from comprehensive marketing expertise and innovative strategies tailored to engage the youth demographic.
Moreover, Global Kartel has a rich background of collaborating with over 100 plus clients on more than 1000 projects, including prominent brands like Paytm Insider, Zomato, Nodwin Gaming, Groww, EatClub, ZEE Entertainment, Rapido, Amazon Pay, and Colors Infinity. Their contributions to the success of major events such Dreamhack, NH7 Bacardi Weekender, Zomaland and Sunburn featuring Martin Martin Garrix India tour showcase their ability to drive large-scale initiatives and pioneering the student ticket category in the Indian entertainment industry.
By leveraging the expertise of Global Kartel, Ampverse DMI looks to ensure maximum participation, enhance audience engagement, and boost brand visibility for College Rivals season two.
Commenting on their partnership, Global Kartel CBO & co-founder Adesh Kolhe stated, “We are excited to join hands with Ampverse DMI for the second season of College Rivals. At Global Kartel, we have always believed in the power of innovative and immersive experiences, and College Rivals is a shining example of this. With our extensive experience in brand, commerce, content, and creativity, we aim to bring an unparalleled level of excitement and engagement to the IP. The synergy of gaming, pop culture, and entertainment in College Rivals offers a unique format that we are excited to amplify through our strategic marketing efforts. We look forward to enhancing this landmark event and contributing to the discovery of the next generation of esports talent in India.”
Since its inception, College Rivals has connected college students’ passion for gaming with their aspiration to become professional players. Its first season garnered over 100 million views and attracted 92,000 plus participants across five cities and 25 colleges.
Season two promises to be even more spectacular, with Global Kartel designing and executing on-ground activations and youth marketing campaigns across 50 plus colleges in 20 cities to ensure high levels of participation and excitement. Players will compete in popular games such as BGMI, Valorant, and EAFC 24, vying for a total prize pool of Rs 50 lakhs.
“College Rivals Season 2 is poised to ignite and empower collegiate rivalries, and our partnership with Global Kartel’s youth marketing arm BoomPanda is pivotal in aiming to unite and enhance impact through shared passion and purpose. Together, we are pioneering new avenues of collaboration across campuses in India, catalyzing innovation and cultivating camaraderie that transcends traditional competition, while innovating in-ground activations,” said Ampverse DMI country head Ashwin Haryani.
With College Rivals season two already underway, the partnership between Global Kartel and Ampverse DMI promises to set new standards in collegiate esports and entertainment.
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.
