Can Casual Games Like Archery, Pool Be Called Esports? MPL Thinks So

Do ‘Fruit Chop’ & ‘Ludo’ Count As Esports? Casual Gaming Platform MPL Certainly Thinks So

Source: MPL

SUMMARY

MPL has launched a cross-medium advertising campaign featuring Indian tennis player Leander Paes, who’s seen offering his pearls of wisdom on how success in esports requires skill, determination and talent, as with any other sport

Should MPL, with games such as Fruit Chop, 8 Ball Pool and Ludo, be calling itself an esports platform, instead of the casual mobile gaming company that it is?

While MPL insists on using the term ‘esports’ for its ad campaigns, the term is conspicuously missing from its mobile application

Indian gaming startup Mobile Premier League (MPL) has been in the news for its association with some of the leading television properties such as the reality television show Big Boss and the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). Central to these brand associations seems to be the company’s aim to market itself as an esports platform. To that effect, the company has even launched a mega advertising campaign featuring Indian tennis legend Leander Paes, who’s seen offering his pearls of wisdom on how success in esports requires skill, determination and talent, as with any other sport. This, while he plays an ‘archery’ game on his smartphone. MPL’s Mainak fell back on the company’s ‘Made in India’ credentials as a response and added that the esports umbrella is wide enough for all kinds of games. “We want to build high-quality Indian games and hopefully one day those games will be a part of OVS and other global games in the future,” he said.

But should MPL, with games such as ‘Fruit Chop’, 8-ball pool, ludo, archery and fantasy sports, call itself an esports platform, instead of the casual mobile gaming company that it is?