Asia

Mumbai Marshals crowned Esports Premier League 2021 Champions

Published

5 years ago

August 31, 2021

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Mumbai Marshals emerged as champions in the inaugural edition of the Esports Premier League (ESPL) 2021. The country’s first-ever franchise-based Esports league, which witnessed high-octane competition of Free Fire matches, concluded in a nail-biting finale. The mega prize distribution ceremony took place at a city hotel on Monday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Mr. Manish Sisodia and Ms. Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson, India Today Group, as the champions and the runner-ups were handed over the trophies and the cash awards.

After two and a half months of virtual competition, two of the most impressive and skilled teams from the league stage, Bangalore Ballistics and Mumbai Marshals, locked horns in a thrilling grand finale. A neck to neck competition saw the Mumbai team getting past the opposition for the prestigious title. The ESPL season 1 champions, Mumbai Marshals have some top players in its roster including Sagar Patel, Indranil Saha, Jayesh Yadav, Naitik Khosto and Asjad Khateeb, who also grabbed the Most Valuable Player award. For his impressive show throughout the tournament, Jayesh Yadav aka Mr Jay from Mumbai Marshals, with 74 kills, was named as the player of the tournament along with an award of Rs. 30,000.

“It was like a festival of Esports, playing out in the last couple of months. There was an overwhelming response coming from all over the country. The gamers showcased their A-game and the competition was nothing short of top class. I hope these athletes will further utilise this experience and win medals for the country in the coming time,” said Mr. Vishwalok Nath, Director, ESPL.

“We, at ESPL, are committed to revolutionising the Indian Esports ecosystem and we are very proud to announce our next big Esports IP, World Esports Cup. We are thankful to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Manish Sisodia who unveiled the logo of this upcoming championship. We believe this tournament will also help us to contribute in making India a global Esports powerhouse. We are also thankful to all our sponsors and stakeholders for their support and belief. This is just the beginning of a new era,” Nath further added.

With more than 100 million video views and one million-plus registrations for the ESPL 2021, eight teams, representing eight cities/states, were finally chosen for the finals at the end of the third round after a highly competitive final stage of the league. The group matches were followed by knockout rounds where 96 teams participated. The eight teams that made it through the knockout finals were assigned one Franchise team each. The list of franchise teams included Mumbai Marshals, Rajasthan Reapers, Bangalore Ballistics, Hyderabad Hydras, Chennai Celestials, Delhi Dukes, Punjab Paladins and Kolkata Kaijus. The tournament saw a massive prize pool of INR 25 lakh with a cash prize award to all the top-8 teams. The Mumbai team took home the major share of Rs 12 lakh from the prize money.

Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, while addressing the ESPL winners and players, said, “Esports now is growing very fast. I am convinced that this “E” sport deserves all the support and recognition. I promise that the Delhi government will encourage Esports in every possible manner. We will be happy to encourage all the initiatives that will help the industry and the sector to grow.”

ESPL 2021, which had Infinix smartphone as the presenting sponsor, was played under the aegis of gamer-centric campaign #ESPLGameSeFame with Tiger Shroff as the inimitable brand ambassador that encouraged players to showcase their top game and get recognised in the industry. The tournament also saw huge response and was streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar, Free Fire official streaming platform Booyah and Malayalam OTT platform Koode alongside official YouTube and Facebook channels of India Today and Aaj Tak and its websites.

appointments

OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion

Published

2 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

os-studios-names-ishaan-arya-country-manager-to-lead-india-expansion

OS Studios has appointed Ishaan Arya as Country Manager for India, tasking him with leading the agency’s expansion across newly established hubs in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Mumbai. The appointment was announced on 25 June, 2026 in Bengaluru.

OS Studios, a Project Worldwide agency, said it recently entered the Indian market and will deploy its ‘Fan Z’ approach for brands looking to engage with gaming, esports and live events audiences in South Asia. The company said the expansion will leverage the infrastructure and production capabilities of sister agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) India.

“The future of gaming will be shaped by the communities that care about it most, and few markets embody that more than India,” said John Higgins, CEO of OS Studios. “To build something meaningful, you have to be part of the culture, not looking in from the outside. Ishaan understands that better than anyone. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want building the future of OS Studios in India.”

In the role, Arya will oversee operations, drive strategic brand partnerships, and scale local capabilities, according to the company. “Brands are investing heavily in Indian gaming, but true fan experience is too often an afterthought,” said Rasheed Sait, Chief Growth Officer for India and South Asia at Project Worldwide. “Alongside GPJ India’s experiential footprint, OS Studios will set a new standard for fan engagement in the region.”

Arya previously co-founded The Esports Club and most recently served as Vice President of Partnerships at Nodwin Gaming, where he led Comic Con India. “A massive gap remains between brand intent and authentic community engagement in India,” said Arya. “I’m thrilled to leverage Project Worldwide and GPJ India’s operational strength to build culture-defining experiences for brands and fans alike.”

The post OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion

Published

1 day ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

philweb-secures-₱202-billion-strategic-investment-from-lance-y.-gokongwei-to-accelerate-ai-driven-technology-expansion

PhilWeb Corporation, a Philippine Stock Exchange-listed technology company serving licensed digital entertainment and gaming platforms, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a ₱2.02 billion strategic equity investment by prominent business leader Lance Y. Gokongwei.

The investment marks a significant milestone in PhilWeb’s transformation into an AI-enabled technology infrastructure company serving the regulated digital entertainment sector. Beyond the capital infusion, PhilWeb expects to benefit from Mr. Gokongwei’s strategic perspective, institutional experience and extensive business network as the Company strengthens its long-term technology roadmap and growth strategy.

Strategic Capital Infusion for AI and Technology Expansion

Under the definitive agreement, Mr. Gokongwei will invest an aggregate amount of ₱2,026,978,840.00 in PhilWeb. The strategic placement will be facilitated through a proposed increase in the Company’s Authorised Capital Stock from ₱2.6 billion to ₱3.6 billion, subject to the required corporate, stockholder and regulatory approvals.

The proceeds are intended to strengthen PhilWeb’s balance sheet and support the integration of advanced data and AI capabilities across its core technology roadmap:

• Enhanced Risk Management and Compliance Systems: Developing intelligent platform tools to support real-time risk scoring, transaction monitoring, suspicious activity detection and responsible gaming controls.

• Data Analytics and Platform Intelligence: Building secure data models designed to interpret user behaviour, optimise player lifecycle management and improve platform operating efficiency.

• Intelligent Recommendation and Retention Tools: Investing in automated recommendation engines to help licensed operators improve content discovery, platform performance and user engagement.

• Operational Automation: Enhancing internal and partner-facing systems through automation tools to optimise compliance workflows, reporting and high-throughput platform monitoring.

Strengthening PhilWeb’s Technology Moat

The transaction reflects growing investor interest in scalable technology infrastructure serving regulated digital entertainment ecosystems. PhilWeb has established a strong market footprint across the Philippine digital gaming and entertainment ecosystem, working with leading licensed operators, integrated resorts and platform partners including Hann Casino, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, NUSTAR Resort and Casino, FBM Philippines and PT Gaming. The integration of next-generation AI tools is expected to further strengthen PhilWeb’s domestic B2B infrastructure layer, enabling the Company to deliver greater operational efficiency, stronger compliance support and more scalable platform capabilities to its ecosystem partners while evaluating potential regional growth opportunities over time as market and regulatory conditions permit.

Management Perspective

“We are profoundly honored to welcome Lance Y. Gokongwei as a strategic anchor investor in PhilWeb. His investment represents a strong endorsement of our technology platform and long-term vision. Data intelligence and automated compliance tools are becoming essential layers of modern digital infrastructure. With Lance’s strategic investment and business network, PhilWeb is well-positioned to expand our AI technology roadmap, serve our established ecosystem of leading partners more efficiently, and evaluate long-term growth opportunities,” said Edgar Brian K. Ng, President of PhilWeb Corporation.

The post PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

ArenaPlus

DigiPlus Wins “Digital Operator of the Year” Award at 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific

Published

1 week ago

June 19, 2026

Wladimir P.

digiplus-wins-“digital-operator-of-the-year”-award-at-2026-global-gaming-awards-asia-pacific

DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus), the country’s premier digital entertainment provider behind BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, has been named Digital Operator of the Year at the 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific, marking its second consecutive annual win in the category and reinforcing its leading industry position in the APAC region. The recognition was announced during the Global Gaming Awards ceremony held on June 2 at Conrad Manila.

One of the international gaming industry’s most prestigious awards programmes, the Global Gaming Awards, powered by Global Gaming Insider, recognise excellence in innovation, player experience, responsible gaming and operational excellence across both land-based and online gaming sectors. Winners are selected by a panel of senior industry executives with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the market, with the voting process independently adjudicated by KPMG to ensure rigor and transparency.

The Digital Operator of the Year category recognises operators that have demonstrated outstanding growth, innovation and player engagement over the past 12 months. DigiPlus emerged victorious from a shortlist of eight nominees, besting seven other operators across APAC.

Judges highlighted DigiPlus’ strong 2025 performance, the addition of over 500 new e-games on its platforms, and the rollout of industry-first responsible gaming tools. The company also continues its momentum in 2026 through major partnerships, including recently launched collaborations with Manny Pacquiao and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

In addition to its top industry honor, DigiPlus earned further recognition for its social impact initiatives, securing the first runner-up spot in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the Year category.

The awards body commended DigiPlus for its impressive CSR work via the DigiPlus Foundation which delivers healthcare, education, disaster relief, and social empowerment programs to over 1 million beneficiaries and counting across the Philippines.

“We are honored to once again be recognized by the Global Gaming Awards. These prestigious international industry accolades reflect DigiPlus’ unwavering pursuit of excellence and our drive to continuously innovate, deepen player engagement, and champion responsible gaming across BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone,” said DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio H. Tanco.

“Together with the recognition for DigiPlus Foundation, this back-to-back win affirms our commitment to delivering world-class digital entertainment to Filipinos while contributing to nation-building.”

The Global Gaming Awards also hold annual editions in the Americas and EMEA regions, recognising industry excellence across the globe.

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