MPL, or Mobile Premier League as it is also known, has been working on a battle royale title. According to several sources, the game is tentatively scheduled for an October 2021 release window on iOS and Android. It is well-known for its reputation as a gambling and real-money gaming giant, but it seems to be taking concrete steps towards being considered a video game company. This is because it recently acquired Gaming Monk, an esports startup, and helped Lifelike Studios in Mumbai launch Rogue Heist.
MPL Battle Royale Game in Development for Potential 2021 Release: Sources
Lifelike Studios may be working on this, but it’s not clear. Since the launch of Rogue Heist, the developer has been very quiet. It will be interesting to see how MPL’s battle royale game development and subsequent rollout have affected its relationships with other developers such as Garena, whose battle royale title Free Fire lets gamers make cash on MPL.
MPL is Building a Battle Royale Game.
To start a battle royale gaming is a bold move. In a country like India, where three of the biggest shooters are dominant, Battlegrounds Mobile India (aka PUBG Mobile India, Free Fire, and Call of Duty) is a great choice. According to industry estimates, there are approximately 100 million players for these three games in India.
Sources tell us that the company can do more than make money. It has the resources to do so. MPL is valued at $945 million after picking up $95 million in a Series D fundraise in February 2021. According to Entrackr, a site that tracks Indian companies, the company is well on the way to have a $2 billion valuation.
MPL has the technology and expertise to run tournaments and events. The company would make direct profits from the entire game ecosystem as it would own everything, from in-app purchases to distribution and broadcast rights. This could give Krafton and Epic Games a run.
Given MPL’s global scale and reach, it shouldn’t surprise us to see the battle royale effort of MPL being international. To get a piece of the largest mobile gaming market in the world, MPL opened a US office in June 2021.
It’s no surprise that Sai Srinivas, CEO, and co-founder, has extensive experience in the video game business. He started his career at Zynga India, then at Bharti Softbank. He launched Songquest, an Indian trivia game. Before launching Creo, Creo was founded as a smartphone startup.
We have reached out to Srinivas and will update this story as soon as we hear back from the company.
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