In a landmark move poised to reshape the Indian gaming sector, the leading Indian sports technology company, Dream Sports, and the global technology giant, Microsoft, have announced a strategic collaboration.
The partnership, formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the inaugural World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 in Mumbai, aims to leverage the strengths of both companies to deliver innovative and immersive gaming experiences to the burgeoning Indian market.
The collaboration will explore multiple avenues, including publishing Microsoft’s extensive gaming portfolio in India and co-developing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered gaming experiences specifically tailored to the preferences of Indian gamers. This initiative seeks to combine Dream Sports’ vast user base of 250 million and its deep understanding of the local gaming community with Microsoft’s cutting-edge technology, AI expertise, and global gaming footprint.
Commenting on the partnership, Harsh Jain, Co-Founder & CEO, Dream Sports said, “We are eager to build innovative & future-ready experiences by leveraging Microsoft’s deep technical & AI expertise along with our base of 250 million Indian users. We look forward to working together to redefine the future of online gaming in India.”
Puneet Chandok, President of Microsoft India and South Asia, echoed this sentiment and added, “We are excited to explore a collaboration with Dream Sports, leveraging their vast ecosystem of 250 million users. Together, Microsoft and Dream Sports aim to elevate the Indian gaming landscape by tailoring it to local needs and delivering transformative AI-driven experiences.”
This strategic alliance comes at a pivotal moment for the Indian gaming industry, which is experiencing exponential growth. The market reached an estimated $3.8 billion in FY24 and is home to nearly 600 million gamers, making India the second-largest mobile gaming market globally. This surge is fueled by increasing smartphone penetration, seamless internet access, and growing support from the public, investors, policy, and academic spheres. Notably, the gaming demographic is diversifying, with 66% of gamers hailing from non-metro cities and 44% being female. Projections indicate the Indian gaming industry could reach $4.5 billion by 2025.
Industry observers anticipate that this collaboration could see Dream Sports leveraging Microsoft’s advanced gaming technologies for features like adaptive gameplay, AI-driven content generation for unique scenarios, and personalised difficulty adjustments. Furthermore, Microsoft’s AI security capabilities could bolster Dream Sports’ fair play measures with sophisticated bot detection systems.
Both companies have emphasised their commitment to a long-term vision focused on fostering innovation, enhancing accessibility, and building for India’s next billion gamers. This partnership is seen as a significant step towards leveraging new-age technology and resources to create more interactive experiences and a robust developer infrastructure within the country.