India’s Mobile Premier League comes to Africa

Carry1st, the largest mobile games publisher in Africa, has announced the launch of India’s leading mobile esports and gaming platform in Africa. This move establishes Carry1st as the official licensor and publisher of Mobile Premier League (MPL) in Africa, enabling new players to access one of the world’s largest Paid Competitive Gaming (PGC) platforms.

MPL has already achieved considerable success in various territories, with a strong presence in Asia, North America, and Europe. PGC introduces a new form of gaming that allows users to participate in skill-based gaming contests, adding an exciting competitive element to the gaming experience.

“As our first market, Nigeria’s thriving gaming community and its position as the largest economy in Africa make it the perfect market for us to expand into,” said Sai Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of MPL. “We are confident that gamers in this market will embrace MPL and its growing collection of games, and we look forward to providing them with an unforgettable gaming experience.”

Lucy Hoffman, co-founder and COO of Carry1st, praised the quality of the product: “With over 60 games to play and a sophisticated liveops platform, we believe MPL provides one of the best products we’ve evaluated for our market.”

To optimise MPL’s product for African markets, Carry1st has partnered with MPL, starting with Nigeria as the initial focus. Carry1st’s monetization-as-a-service platform, Pay1st, has been seamlessly integrated into MPL’s system. Pay1st provides over 120 local payment methods for in-game purchases across Carry1st’s markets in Africa.

Carry1st has a track record of collaborating with and expanding the presence of major games worldwide. The launch of MPL follows Carry1st’s successful partnership with Call of Duty: Mobile in South Africa in 2022. Recently, Carry1st raised $27-million in funding, with Bitkraft Ventures leading the investment round and participation from prominent investors such as Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), TTV Capital, Alumni Ventures, Lateral Capital, Kepple Ventures, and Konvoy.

In 2022, Carry1st signed a partnership with Riot Games to pilot local payments for Riot Games’ titles in Africa. Riot Games, the developer and publisher behind League of Legends, the most-played PC game globally, has been an early investor in Carry1st.

Mobile Premier League (MPL) is described as the world’s leading mobile esports and gaming platform, offering users the opportunity to participate in free and paid competitions across 60+ games in multiple categories, including fantasy sports, sports games, puzzles, casual games, and board games. Founded in 2018, MPL hosts monthly tournaments that attract hundreds of millions of participants and has over 90-million registered users across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Carry1st, Africa’s biggest mobile games publisher, has launched India’s leading mobile esports and gaming platform in Africa. As the official licensor and publisher of Mobile Premier League (MPL) in Africa, Carry1st will enable new players to access one of the world’s largest Paid Competitive Gaming (PGC) platforms. 

MPL has proven success in multiple territories, with a strong presence in Asia, North America and Europe. A new form of gaming, PGC allows users to participate in skill-based gaming contests.

Commenting on the launch, Sai Srinivas, Co-Founder and CEO, MPL, said, “We are incredibly excited to bring MPL to various African markets through our partnership with Carry1st. As our first market, Nigeria’s thriving gaming community and its position as the largest economy in Africa make it the perfect market for us to expand into. We are confident that gamers in this market will embrace MPL and its growing collection of games, and we look forward to providing them with an unforgettable gaming experience.”

“We’ve been impressed with MPL for years and are thrilled to expand the company’s reach to Africa. With over 60 games to play and a sophisticated liveops platform, we believe MPL provides one of the best products we’ve evaluated for our market. We’re excited to activate our growing community around this new endeavor,” shared Lucy Hoffman, Carry1st Co-Founder and COO. 

Carry1st is partnering with MPL to optimize the product for African markets, starting with Nigeria. MPL has integrated Pay1st, Carry1st’s monetisation-as-a-service platform. With Pay1st, MPL provides over 120 local payment methods for in-game purchases across Carry1st’s markets in Africa. 

Carry1st has continued to work with, and expand, the globe’s biggest games. The launch of MPL comes off the back of its partnership with Call of Duty: Mobile in South Africa in 2022. Most recently, the company raised $27m led by BITKRAFT Ventures with participation from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), TTV Capital, Alumni Ventures, Lateral Capital, Kepple Ventures, and Konvoy. 

In 2022, Carry1st signed a partnership with Riot Games to pilot local payments for the company’s games in Africa. Riot Games is the developer and publisher behind League of Legends — the most-played PC game in the world. Riot Games is an early investor in Carry1st and has been a continued supporter of the business.

For more information, visit www.mpl.live.