Gaming
OnePlus powers up Gods Reign for battle royale glory at BGMI Pro Series
MUMBAI: It’s game on as OnePlus teams up with Gods Reign, one of India’s top-tier BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) squads, in a turbo-charged partnership ahead of the BGMI Pro Series (BMPS) 2025, where 96 elite teams are slugging it out for a whopping Rs 2 crore prize pot.
The tie-up, stitched together by Times One, a unit of Times OOH, blends speed, swagger, and silicon. At the heart of the deal is OnePlus’ mission to cement its gaming credentials by powering Gods Reign’s training grind and match-day performance with its flagship devices—built for buttery frame rates, rapid cooling and marathon battery life.
Having already clinched Rs 50 lakh as ESL Snapdragon Pro Series Season 6 champs, Gods Reign is no stranger to the winner’s circle. Now, with OnePlus tech fuelling their BGMI charge, the team is ready to frag, flank and fire their way to the top once more.
But it’s not just about hardware. The deal brings co-branded storytelling, real-world gamer feedback loops for OnePlus’ next-gen devices, and high-impact content that celebrates the grit behind the game. Think tech meets teamwork, with a generous dose of community buzz.
“This partnership with OnePlus marks a significant milestone for our team. We’re proud to be aligned with a brand that not only understands elite performance but also shares our hunger for innovation and excellence. With Times One’s support, we look forward to creating impactful experiences for our fans and the gaming community,” said Gods Reign CEO & cofounder K R Rohith.
Added Times One gaming business head Kanishka Singh: “At Times One, we believe in the transformative power of esports as the next big cultural movement. Facilitating this partnership between OnePlus and Gods Reign underscores our mission to bring together premium brands and elite gaming talent. We are thrilled to play a pivotal role in scripting this chapter of India’s gaming evolution.”
With Ficci-EY 2025 projecting brand participation in esports to rise from 68 to 75 and player involvement to hit 2.8 million this year, OnePlus’ power play is well-timed. It’s a high-stakes, high-speed partnership that’s already levelling up India’s esports narrative—one kill streak at a time.
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.
