MPL Launches College Esports Festival College Premier League Through the College Premier League, the platform aims to identify and nurture budding esports talents in India
By Prabhjeet Bhatla •
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Esports and mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League on Monday announced the launch of College Premier League (CPL)—a mobile gaming festival for college students. As a part of this initiative, students will actively compete to win scholarships and cash prizes both at an individual level as well as at the institutional level, with a total value of INR 1 crore.
Over its duration, beginning from November 27, students from across the country will contend for top honors across a wide range of mobile games such as World Cricket Championship, Chess, Pool, and Rogue Heist. The games were carefully chosen based on their interest and popularity among the students, as well as those that appeal to both regular and casual gamers.
Competing colleges will be awarded points on the basis of their performance, which will see them through intra-college, regional, zonal, and national rounds. The finalists will get to livestream their games along with influencers such as comedian Tanmay Bhat on MPL's social media channels potentially reaching an audience of over two million.
In a country with approximately 300 million gamers, India is one of the top five global gaming markets, making it rife with opportunities to build an esports ecosystem at the collegiate level. Furthermore,
"Over the last few months, we have seen a tremendous boost in online gaming. Not just as a means of keeping audiences entertained, but also as a viable career option. The industry is growing at a fast pace with several options being created for players to go pro, supported by developers, marketing professionals, and more. Through the CPL, we are hopeful of creating awareness about these opportunities and their potential," said MPL co-founder and chief executive officer Sai Srinivas while commenting on the launch.
The company has on-boarded over 50 games on its platform since its launch in 2018. Having partnered with several independent as well as established game developers, it has since opened up a new revenue stream for them to monetize their skills. Additionally, the CPL is a part of its growth programs to reach a cross-section of users, following their associations with Indian and international professional sports leagues.
