Breaking: Samsung enters booming Indian esports scene via Ampverse DMI

In a first, Samsung has stepped up its push into India’s fast-growing esports ecosystem by entering into a partnership with esports arena Ampverse DMI as the Official Title Sponsor of College Rivals Season 3. Under the association, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra will be used for all on-ground gameplay and feature prominently across content integrations during the tournament.

The move marks the entry of another legacy consumer brand into the esports space, following a similar foray by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), and underscores the growing appeal of competitive gaming as a platform for youth engagement and brand building.

Esports is witnessing rapid growth across Indian college campuses, driven by a young gamer base that is increasingly demanding devices capable of delivering stable performance, fast response times and high-quality visuals. Collegiate tournaments, in particular, have emerged as critical platforms for nurturing grassroots talent while also serving as real-world testbeds for flagship technology under competitive pressure.

Commenting on the partnership, Charlie Baillie, co-founder and chief executive officer of Ampverse, said competitive gaming is becoming an integral part of youth culture in India. “Samsung’s technology sets a new benchmark for campus esports. By introducing student gamers to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, we are strengthening the talent pipeline, elevating grassroots competitiveness, and creating an aspirational platform for India’s next generation of esports athletes,” he said.

Shivashish Chatterjee, co-founder of DMI Group, said the partnership builds on an existing relationship with Samsung. “We are excited to extend our deep relationship with Samsung to the College Rivals platform. As a committed supporter of the rapidly growing esports ecosystem in India, we look forward to the day when a million college students across the country have a path to discovery and stardom on College Rivals,” he said.

This year, College Rivals is scaling up significantly, expanding to more than 70 colleges across 20 cities. The third season will feature additional qualifiers and new team-based formats for Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), changes aimed at intensifying competition and enhancing the overall participant experience.

Ampverse, which describes itself as Asia’s largest ecosystem of gaming and entertainment communities and intellectual properties, has partnered with DMI Finance through a strategic joint venture focused on strengthening India’s esports and gaming ecosystem. Launched in August 2023, College Rivals Esports Series has positioned itself as India’s largest collegiate esports and gaming intellectual property, achieving what organisers claim is the highest campus penetration in the sector by its third season.

Samsung’s entry into campus esports comes at a time when other large corporates are also beginning to test the waters. In a separate strategic move marking its debut in the esports segment, Hindustan Unilever Limited had entered the competitive gaming ecosystem as a sponsor of the Chennai Esports Global Championship (CEGC), India’s first state-backed international esports tournament.

HUL’s Boost Protein brand had sponsored the championship, signalling an opening for more mass and youth-focused consumer brands to align themselves with esports. Industry observers say the partnership reflects HUL’s first structured foray into the rapidly expanding esports category, with the company likely to adopt a phased approach to building a presence for its broader portfolio brands within the gaming and youth engagement ecosystem.