After months of intense competition and nationwide excitement, College Rivals, the Esports talent hunt, is gearing up for its grand showdown. The one-of-a-kind experiential LAN event will be a combination of gaming action, community engagement, and entertainment and is set to take place on March 3 at Nesco, Mumbai.
College Rivals, which is the inaugural intellectual property of Ampverse, Asia’s largest ecosystem of gaming communities and IPs, in collaboration with DMI Finance, has tapped into the immense talent pool within college campuses across the country and revolutionized India’s Esports landscape by providing a pioneering platform for students to showcase their gaming prowess.
The grand finale will feature 28 finalists selected from colleges nationwide who will compete individually across six titles on three different platforms. This includes eight finalists in BGMI, and four each in Road to Valor, Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Tekken 7, and FIFA 23.
In addition to thrilling Esports action, attendees can look forward to a range of engaging activities, including meet and greets with top gaming influencers, music performances by renowned artists, arcade gaming zones, racing simulators, food and beverage counters, chill lounges, and much more.
Ashwin Haryani, Country Head of Ampverse, India, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the grand finale, stating, “College Rivals is a groundbreaking IP that has brought the immense talent and passion for Esports among college students to the forefront. It has successfully realized our vision of creating a sustainable ecosystem that offers a structured pathway for every player, irrespective of their background or experience, to pursue a career in Esports. By identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level, we aim to empower the next generation of gamers and shape the future of India’s Esports industry. The first season of College Rivals is just the beginning of our vision and we are eagerly looking forward to an immersive grand finale that will captivate not only gaming enthusiasts but everyone involved.”
The journey of College Rivals began in August with city qualifiers, where teams competed in bracket-based matches organized by city. Each city qualifier was conducted at the end of the City Tour by the College Rivals Truck which visited 25 colleges across five cities, including New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai, and attracted a total of 92,000 participants across the nation.
Following the city qualifiers, the top players from each city moved to the League Stage where they competed in a GSL format, with the best advancing to the LAN event playoffs.
