MUMBAI: The grand finale of College Rivals, India’s largest esports talent hunt, culminated with 28 college students from across the country sharing a Rs 50 lakh prize pool.
The finale of Ampverse’s inaugural intellectual property and “Asia’s largest ecosystem of gaming communities and IPs”, in collaboration with DMI Finance, was attended by over 5,000 people who witnessed the finalists competing individually across six titles – BGMI, FIFA 23, Road to Valor, Valorant, Tekken 7 and Counter Strike-2 in the best-of-three format.
Eight finalists showcased their skills for a share of the Rs 10 lakh prize pool in the BGMI title. Ultimately, it was Divyansh Vashisht of Delhi School of Professional Studies, Palampur, who emerged victorious with a 2-1 victory against Sahil Nagpal of APJ in the final match, securing the top prize of Rs 4 lakh.
While Sahil secured Rs 2 lakh in prize money, Swayam Jain of IIPS and Deepak Mishra of DSNV were rewarded with Rs 1 lakh each after finishing in third and fourth place respectively. The remaining four finalists were awarded Rs 50,000 each.
The finale also provided an opportunity to one of the Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) players by offering a professional esports contract with Rivals Pro Esports.
In addition to BGMI, the College Rivals final showcased competition across the other titles, each boasting a prize pool of Rs 5 lakhs. Winners in each category received a substantial Rs 2.5 lakh prize, while the runner-up secured Rs 1.5 lakh. Additionally, the third and fourth-place finishers were awarded Rs 50 thousand each.
Karman Singh Tikka of Delhi Institute of Management, Gurugram, who also represented India at the Asian Games 2022, demonstrated his expertise in FIFA 23 by defeating Danish Khan of DGMC with a 2-0 scoreline. Similarly, in Tekken 7, Vayam Bhatt of MVSIT, New Delhi, clinched victory with an identical 2-0 scoreline against Gurashish Singh of Jagannath University.
Arnav Manoj of SRM University, Mumbai, displayed exceptional skill and determination in the Road to Valor title by securing victory in the final with an impressive 2-0 scoreline. In Valorant, Vinit Mane of DY Patil Arts and Commerce College, Pune, dominated the competition with a 2-0 victory, while another talented student from Pune, Samyak Magare of Ajeenkya DY Patil University, prevailed in Counter-Strike 2 with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph.
Beyond the esports competitions, the College Rivals final provided attendees with a plethora of activities, including live performances from stand-up comedian Samay Raina and music artists Seedhe Maut, Muhfaad, and Char Diwaari.
Gaming enthusiasts also had the opportunity to interact with Esports personalities such as Naman Mathur (Mortal), Payal Dhare (PayalGaming), Tanmay Singh (ScoutOP), and Yash Thakker (lolzzzgaming), who engaged in a BGMI match.
The experiential LAN event also featured cosplay competitions, arcade gaming zones, racing simulators, VR cricket, AI live generation art, and a variety of food and beverages, creating an immersive and memorable experience for all attendees.
The journey of College Rivals began last August with city qualifiers, where teams competed in bracket-based matches organized by citywise. 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.
