Ampverse DMI has announced Samsung as the official title sponsor of ‘College Rivals S3’, marking a significant collaboration at a time when campus esports is witnessing rapid growth across India.

As part of the partnership, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will be featured across all on-ground gameplay and content integrations during the tournament, reinforcing the brand’s push into competitive gaming ecosystems at the grassroots level.

Esports has been steadily gaining traction in Indian colleges, with student gamers increasingly demanding devices that offer stable performance, fast response times and immersive visuals. Collegiate tournaments such as College Rivals have emerged as important platforms for discovering new talent while also serving as real-world testing grounds for flagship smartphones under high-performance pressure. The association positions Samsung at the centre of this fast-evolving youth-driven gaming culture.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Elite for Galaxy, a customised processor described as the most powerful iteration in the Galaxy S series to date. According to the company, the chip delivers a 40 per cent performance boost in NPU, 37 per cent in CPU and 30 per cent in GPU compared to the previous generation, enabling smoother gameplay and faster response during competitive matches.

“Samsung has consistently delivered powerful devices for demanding gameplay. The Galaxy S25 Ultra raises this standard with blazing-fast performance. Its 6.9-inch immersive Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with anti-reflective coating and 120Hz refresh rate caters to gamers who seek the best. We collaborated closely with Qualcomm engineers to customise the Snapdragon® 8 Elite chip for exceptional speed while preventing overheating during intense gaming sessions,” said Aditya Babbar, Vice President of MX Business at Samsung India.

The Galaxy S25 series also brings advanced AI-led image processing with ProScaler to deliver up to a 43 per cent improvement in display image scaling quality. It features Samsung’s mobile Digital Natural Image engine embedded within the processor to enhance display power efficiency, while advanced ray tracing and a Vulkan Engine work together to improve graphics rendering and computing workloads for a more lifelike gaming experience. Enhanced heat dissipation, supported by a 40 per cent larger vapour chamber and tailored thermal interface material, is designed to ensure smooth operation during extended gaming and AI-heavy usage.

Commenting on the partnership, Charlie Baillie, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ampverse, said, “As competitive gaming becomes integral to youth culture in India, Samsung’s technology sets a new benchmark for campus esports. By introducing student gamers to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, we are strengthening the talent pipeline, elevating grassroots competitiveness, and creating an aspirational platform for India’s next generation of esports athletes.”

Shivashish Chatterjee, Co-founder, DMI Group, said the collaboration builds on an existing relationship with Samsung and aligns with the long-term vision of expanding the esports ecosystem. “We are excited to extend our deep relationship with Samsung to the College Rivals platform. As a committed supporter of the rapidly growing esports ecosystem in India, we look forward to the day when a million college students across the country have a path to discovery and stardom on College Rivals,” he said.

‘College Rivals S3’ is set to expand its footprint significantly this year, reaching more than 70 colleges across 20 cities. The new season will introduce additional qualifiers and new team-based BGMI formats, intensifying competition and further enhancing the experience for participating students, while reinforcing College Rivals’ position as one of India’s key campus esports platforms.