Gaming
Pocket Aces’ Loco, Fnatic enter into long-term, multi-pronged strategic alliance
NEW DELHI: Leading live game streaming app- Loco announced a long-term partnership with global esports organisation, Fnatic, in a first-of-its-kind partnership for the Indian gaming ecosystem.
Fnatic is one of the world’s preeminent esports organisations and has an unrivalled decade-long legacy in a variety of games like League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and more. The company is now pioneering the PUBG Mobile esports space with its squad-based out of India.
As part of the partnership, Loco will onboard Fnatic India’s entire roster onto the app (which include some of India’s leading streamers and gamers) who will broadcast exclusive content on Loco.
Loco and Fnatic will also co-create unique esports content together. This includes multiple tournaments and non-fiction shows. The two companies believe that esports content is in a nascent stage and the coming together of two organisations with a strong content pedigree will deliver unparalleled entertainment to gaming fans in India.
Pocket Aces founders Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh said, “Fnatic and Pocket Aces share a common vision of building a sustainable esports ecosystem in India. We want to provide Indian esports and gaming fans, world-class gaming entertainment across formats and this partnership will ensure that this shared vision is realised very soon. Fnatic has made a strong commitment to Indian gaming and as the home of Indian gaming, we are delighted to welcome them!”
Fnatic lead India Nimish Raut said, “At Fnatic, we are dedicated to entertaining our fans through content and new formats of gaming. We believe that esports has the potential to be the top form of entertainment in this country and these shared thoughts make Pocket Aces and Loco the perfect partner as we seek to level-up the content play in India. As a pioneer in the digital content space, Pocket Aces has a history of building entertainment channels from scratch and working with one of the best talents. We are thrilled to be working with Loco to build the future of esports and entertainment together."
In the last few months, Loco has seen a surge in streamer signups which has been ~ 50x more than expected. Recently, Loco also hosted an exclusive partnership with another esports giant – Skyesports for a ‘Grandslam Tournament’ across five game titles. The association between Fnatic and Loco started early April this year, for a PUBG Mobile charity tournament called #GamingForGood that witnessed a total viewership of 5.8 million.
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.
