Key takeaways
- Mobile Premier League has rapidly gained over 25 million users since its launch in 2018.
- The platform aims to become India's largest mobile eSports hub by enhancing accessibility for all users.
- MPL leverages AI, machine learning, and analytics to maintain its competitive edge in the gaming market.
- The recent Series A investment of $35.5 million will support product development and user growth.
- MPL's team is currently composed of 80 members, with plans for significant expansion.
Mobile Premier League (MPL) is one of the fastest growing eSports platforms in India today. Launched in September 2018, the platform has garnered over 25 million users in a short span of time and aims to break barriers of access to make mobile gaming a household sport across the country. Offering a one-stop platform with multiple, popular, skill-based games and esports to choose from, MPL is extensively using AI, ML and analytics to stay ahead of the game.
The company currently made headlines when it announced Series A investment of $35.5 million, led by Sequoia India, Times Internet, and GoVentures with participation from other investors including RTP Global, BeeNext, Base Growth, and Venture Highway. Aiming to use the funding amount for product development and user growth in India, the founders are working every step to become India’s largest Mobile eSports Platform which is accessible to all. The company is currently 80 people strong and aims to grow exponentially.
Analytics India Magazine interacted with Sai Srinivas Kiran G (SSK), co-founder and CEO, to get an inside picture of MPL and Kaustubh Bhoyar (KB), CTO, to understand the technological drive behind the company’s unprecedented success.
Analytics India Magazine: Tell us about the inception of the MPL platform.
SSK: The idea to start MPL came around April end, last year and we started off with a bunch of us from my apartment and then by June we finally moved to an office setup. It was only in September ’18 that we finally launched the product. It has been an interesting 7 months since then and the moment we have 25 million users on our platform.
AIM: eSports has become a well-established worldwide phenomenon. Where does India stand?
SSK: Mobile Gaming has been gaining momentum in the Indian market with the proliferation of mobile phones and affordable data plans. Annual mobile gaming revenue in India is projected to grow to $943 million in 2022, making India the fastest-growing mobile market in the world by overall revenue, according to a report by POKKT. India is now one of the top five markets for mobile gaming in terms of the number of users.
Any internet business in India would put the Indian market as top 1-3 priorities right now. For us, it is very important because as of today, the number of mobile games users stands at around 200 million and this number is expected to grow up to 600 million in 2-3 years. There’s no other market in the world which is this big in terms of users.
AIM: Who are your direct competitors?
SSK: Currently, MPL is the only platform offering multiple games and we do not have any direct competitors. While there are multiple apps that involve real money gaming in fantasy sports and a few more, MPL is the only platform offering multiple games of a casual nature like Candy Crush, Temple Run etc. in one place.
AIM: How do you plan to utilise the $35.5 million of funding?
SSK: Our aim is to make the product more robust and bring in different formats of gameplay in which the users can engage. The most important thing is to invest in growth. The idea is to grow as aggressively and as fast as possible. We plan to invest in products and user growth in India. Also, we will use the current funding to grow faster by hiring the right talent to build out the right product infrastructure which will suit not just the Indian market but also the global market.
