Gaming
Scoop, score, chill repeat as Mother Dairy drops into esports arena
MUMBAI: When the heat is on and the stakes are high, a scoop of calm can go a long way. And this summer, it came with sprinkles of glory and a side of gaming grit. Mother Dairy has officially levelled up. In a sizzling first, the iconic dairy brand dipped into the world of esports with the Mother Dairy Chillz Cup, a high-octane gaming tournament hosted in partnership with Rooter, India’s largest game streaming and commerce platform. With 64 top teams and over 2,000 gamers facing off in an epic Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) showdown, it wasn’t just about victory, it was about staying cool while doing it.
And that’s where the magic happened. As players braved virtual crossfire and tactical pressure, Mother Dairy’s ice creams emerged as the real MVPs, cooling the nerves with indulgent favourites like Banoffee Pie, Pina Colada, Filter Coffee Cone, and the ever-quirky Choconado. It was a gaming-meets-gastronomy experience like no other.
The final clash on May 11, 2025, wasn’t just a gaming finale, it was a festival of fandom. Crowds cheered, creators scooped up frozen delights, and elite teams like iqoo Soul, Godlike, and Revenant X Spark brought their A-game in front of roaring fans.
Speaking about the collaboration, Mother Dairy Spokesperson said, “Ice creams are all about excitement and fun. We are thrilled to partner with Rooter for the Mother Dairy Chillz Cup, marking our entry into the dynamic and fast-growing world of esports. This association enables us to connect with a younger audience through a platform that thrives on energy, engagement, and innovation. The Chillz Cup truly embodies our brand’s youthful spirit and commitment to delivering the coolest experiences.”
Rooter founder and CEO Piyush said “We’ve always believed in creating meaningful partnerships that bring value to both the gaming community and our brand partners. The Chillz Cup was a great example of how a legacy brand like Mother Dairy could connect with a digital-first audience in their native environment, making it a fun, and memorable experience. The Chillz Cup captured the cool spirit of gaming staying calm under pressure and outplaying rivals with a cool head just like enjoying a scoop of ice-cold Mother Dairy Ice Cream on a hot day. We are proud to collaborate on a campaign that celebrates high-performance gaming while adding an element of summer joy to the esports experience”
From frosty cones to fiery comebacks, the Chillz Cup didn’t just serve scoops, it served up a new era of brand storytelling in gaming. And with esports now firmly on Mother Dairy’s menu, the summer just got a whole lot cooler.
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.
