Dream Sports, the parent company behind fantasy sports platform Dream11, is in talks to buy out Indian esports platform SoStronk, according to a report in Money Control. Dream Sports has made major strides in recent months including raising a $225M USD round just a few days earlier. In April 2019, it also became the first Indian “gaming” company to enter the Unicorn club. In August 2020, the company also announced that it would be the 2020 title sponsor for the Indian Premier League, the world’s biggest cricket league, having paid roughly $31M for the rights.
SoStronk is primarily a tech company operating in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive space, best known for producing events similar to FACEIT and ESEA. The company also operates a services arm wherein it works with tournament organizers to augment production, offer server hosting, league operations, and infrastructure needs. SoStronk’s website also revealed that it has been developing a mobile gaming platform which is primarily used as a B2B service.
As the line between fantasy sports, esports, real money gaming, and hyper-casual gaming continues to be blurred in South Asia, platforms such as Dream11 have been quick to recognize the potential of the sector. They continue to push the boundaries of what these terms encapsulate in the region and are expected to be one of the primary movers in the space in the coming years. The Money Control estimates that Dream11 is also in talks with up to five other gaming and tech-related startups. The report also mentions that Dream11 has set up a budget of $10M-$15M for these acquisitions.
The Esports Observer reached out to Dream11 and will update this story with more information if it becomes available.
Shounak Sengupta is a staff writer for AFK Gaming.