OnePlus steps into Esports, partners with leading BGMI teams to power India’s gaming future
Today, OnePlus entered the Indian esports space, announcing a strategic partnership with three competitive gaming teams: Gods Reign, K9, and Cincinnati Kids. The move marks a significant step in the company’s commitment to building a ‘gaming-first ecosystem’ that combines product innovation with grassroots-level engagement in India’s booming mobile gaming sector. Unlike traditional sponsorships, OnePlus aims […]
Today, OnePlus entered the Indian esports space, announcing a strategic partnership with three competitive gaming teams: Gods Reign, K9, and Cincinnati Kids. The move marks a significant step in the company’s commitment to building a ‘gaming-first ecosystem’ that combines product innovation with grassroots-level engagement in India’s booming mobile gaming sector.
Unlike traditional sponsorships, OnePlus aims to integrate directly with the esports ecosystem, using insights from professional players to guide product development.
Players from each partnered team will provide real-time feedback on device performance during gameplay.
Feedback will be used to optimize critical gaming metrics, including frame rates, power efficiency, thermal management, and input latency.
OnePlus says the focus is on building devices that perform under real tournament conditions, aligning both hardware and software with gamers’ needs.
The brand emphasized that this isn’t just a promotional exercise – it’s a long-term commitment to improving the mobile gaming experience in India through active collaboration with the esports community.
The three teams will now compete under the OnePlus banner:
OnePlus Gods Reign: Based in Bengaluru, this elite BGMI team has claimed top positions at BGIS and BGMS, and was runner-up at BMPS. In 2025, they clinched the ESL Snapdragon Pro Series title after a roster revamp.
OnePlus K9: Known for rising through grassroots competitions, K9 has participated in tournaments like ESL BGMI Snapdragon Pro Series, Red Bull MEO, and BGIS. Their consistent performance has led to the new identity, OnePlus K9.
OnePlus Cincinnati Kids: This team began their journey without sponsors and rose through the ranks, finishing 7th at the BGIS 2025 Grand Finals. Their underdog-to-contender transformation has earned them a strategic tie-up and rebrand as OnePlus Cincinnati Kids.
Speaking about the partnership, Marcel Campos, Director of Product Strategy at OnePlus, said, “Our community has always been central to our work. Over time, we have carefully listened to the gaming community’s demands for speed, performance, and reliability. This collaboration strengthens our commitment to gamers and represents an important step in supporting the future of mobile esports athletes.”
Alongside the partnership announcement, OnePlus showcased its gaming-optimized flagship lineup, the OnePlus 13 Series, which the company says is “built with mobile gamers in mind.”
The OnePlus 13 packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite platform for flagship performance, while the OnePlus 13R runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Both phones offer advanced GPU performance and sustained frame rates alongside their Dual Cryo-Velocity Vapor Cooling System to manage heat under heavy loads. There’s a massive 6,000 mAh battery with 100W SUPERVOOC fast charging for extended gaming sessions with minimal downtime
OnePlus believes this three-pronged strategy – hardware innovation, grassroots partnerships, and pro-level feedback – will redefine mobile gaming in India. By aligning its product roadmap with the pulse of the esports community, OnePlus is positioning itself as a long-term player in India’s rapidly evolving gaming ecosystem.
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South Fayette Unified Esports Team wins regional title
1 / 3 Celebrating their championship are Team Green members, from left, Miguel Persichetti, Nathan Lyons, Cameron Diehl and Cole Chichester. Courtesy of the South Fayette School District 2 / 3 South Fayette High School’s Team Green […]
South Fayette Unified Esports Team wins regional title
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Celebrating their championship are Team Green members, from left, Miguel Persichetti, Nathan Lyons, Cameron Diehl and Cole Chichester.
Courtesy of the South Fayette School District
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South Fayette High School’s Team Green won the Eastern United States Region Unified Esports championship. Team members are, from left, Miguel Persichetti, Nathan Lyons, Cole Chichester and Cameron Diehl.
Courtesy of the South Fayette School District
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Members of South Fayette High School’s two esports teams
Courtesy of the South Fayette School District
South Fayette High School has become known for its championship teams with multiple WPIAL titles in football and girls basketball, along with a state boys basketball title in 2010 and a state girls basketball championship this year.
Add another championship to the list – unified esports, whose team members composed of both neurotypical and neurodiverse students (those with special needs) compete using video games.
The new Unified Esports Team Green – made up of Miguel Persechetti, Nathan Snyder, Cole Chichester and Cameron Diehl – recently won the championship of the Eastern United States Region, only the second region in the nation to offer unified esports. Team Green amassed a 7-1 record in Mario Kart before moving on to the postseason to capture the championship by a narrow 2-1 victory.
“That’s the idea of unified – bringing those kids together to be able to work together on these teams,” said Dr. Kevin Maurer, esports program director. “That’s the best part. Seeing the mentorship and peer connection that’s happening that otherwise wouldn’t. Students dealing with any type of disability, we check it at the door and those students are just able to be players of the game just like anyone else. We are so proud of the team. They were one team of 37 unified Mario Kart teams across the Eastern United States Region competing in the Special Olympics League.”
South Fayette is in a league that is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania and includes students from Freeport, Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh Public Schools and Beaver. Funding through a Moonshot Grant from the Grable Foundation was integral in starting the program. Moonshot Grants typically fund research or innovation designed to tackle ambitious and potentially transformative goals.
The team competes in a state-of-the-art esports arena at the high school. Students are involved in the promotion, live-streaming and announcing aspects of the sports. There also is an arena in the middle school.
“In addition to our high school teams and our middle school teams participating in the PIEA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports Association), we added a Unified Esports team,” Maurer said. “We are the first teams in Pennsylvania to be competing through the Special Olympics in Unified Sports.”
South Fayette High School has two esports teams. Team White is composed of Cole Froelich, Pranav Mantraratnam, Milan Gupta, JR Wolski and Shivanshu De.
Esports is the third unified sport in the district, along with bocce and robotics.
“What’s wonderful about this whole season was that you had students who may never have crossed paths working together on a team,” Maurer said. “Watching the nurturing of the students, who are mentoring each other, the teamwork that goes into it, the sportsmanship, all of those things you see in traditional sports, we observe through this kind of future focus sport.”
Stacey Barth, one of the coaches, spoke with pride about the team’s accomplishments.
“They did such a great job this year, being the first year that we participated in this,” she said. “They really came together as a team. They got along and worked so well together.”
Snyder, a junior, wasn’t even aware of the team when asked by Persechetti to participate.
“I had no real expectations going into this,” he said. “I thought it was something fun to be doing after school and I would meet some new people. We just kept winning. I think we improved over time. … It’s a really rewarding feeling to actually be good at something.”
He’s also benefited from being part of the team.
“Connections, that’s the whole thing,” Snyder said. “I already played a lot of video games as a kid and I feel like I was able to use some of that to make some new friendships. I’ve always been kind of shy in making connections. Getting thrown into esports, it was kind of awkward. But I feel like I was able to work on communication a lot. I just got to talk to more people, and I feel like that was one of the most rewarding things esports gave to me.”
Persechetti, 18, agreed.
“I definitely learned to talk with people better and how to communicate with a team,” said the senior. “I also learned how to strategize in order to play better.”
Persechetti took on the role of team leader, making sure teammates were calm in stressful situations and were in the right mindset for the competition.
“He made sure that he was always keeping the rest of the team upbeat, even if they were getting a little down sometimes,” Barth said. “He always got them back on track.”
Persichetti enjoyed the experience and winning a championship.
“Being able to win was pretty gratifying since we were unsure we were going to win while we were playing. It was pretty close,” Persechetti said.
Esports have grown in popularity collegiately, transforming from niche campus clubs into a significant component of college athletics. Scholarships are available at some colleges for esports participants. Class of 2024 seniors Lincoln George and Luke MacIntosh were the first South Fayette players to receive collegiate esports offers and scholarships. Macintosh is now a member of the Robert Morris University esports team.
“In the future we’re looking forward to having even more teams,” Maurer said. “We’re excited to have some all girl teams as well. It matches up with our district vision. We want to look at future focus programs, student-centered and inclusive. This checks a lot of those boxes for us. Our students are gaming and we’re meeting them where they are.”
United’s A.J. Hixson to compete on St. Francis’ esports team | Sports
ARMAGH, Pa. – United High School senior A.J. Hixson recently took a major step toward his ultimate goal when he committed to join the esports team at St. Francis University. Hixson will major in computer science and minor in cybersecurity. ×
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ARMAGH, Pa. – United High School senior A.J. Hixson recently took a major step toward his ultimate goal when he committed to join the esports team at St. Francis University.
Hixson will major in computer science and minor in cybersecurity.
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By Laura Lombardi The Wellington High School Crusader Overwatch Esports team made an impressive showing at the Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) High School National Championship… Previous Post Library to Host “Married To Adventure” Next Post A Time to Celebrate, A Time to Care Link 0
By Laura Lombardi The Wellington High School Crusader Overwatch Esports team made an impressive showing at the Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) High School National Championship…
Iowa high school esports team prepares for state tournament | News
ADEL, Iowa (KCCI) — ADEL, Iowa — Adel-De Soto-Minburn High School’s esports team is making a name for itself in Iowa with a strong performance in Mario Kart. For junior Miller Banse, the esports team gives him an opportunity to play on a team that he otherwise wouldn’t have. “I have a condition called HLHS, […]
ADEL, Iowa (KCCI) — ADEL, Iowa — Adel-De Soto-Minburn High School’s esports team is making a name for itself in Iowa with a strong performance in Mario Kart.
For junior Miller Banse, the esports team gives him an opportunity to play on a team that he otherwise wouldn’t have.
“I have a condition called HLHS, hypoplastic left heart syndrome,” Banse said. “I can’t participate in any other physical sports.”
Banse finds esports a great opportunity to showcase his skills.
“With me not being able to compete in any other sports, this is a great place to come and show off what I’ve learned,” he said.
Esports at ADM is treated as a varsity sport, not just casual gaming.
“It’s not just video games,” Banse said. “During the matches, it gets pretty tense.”
Like other sports at ADM, esports requires dedication and practice. Practice is taken seriously, starting promptly at 4 p.m.
“Practice starts at 4, not 4:01,” said ADM head coach Chris Hatchitt.
The Mario Kart squad has its own drills, focusing on shortcuts, map courses, turns, passes and object uses.
ADM’s Mario Kart team boasts a 6-0 record this season, demonstrating their commitment and skill.
“We come in every single day and put in the work,” Banse said.
ADM will compete in separate 4-versus-4 races against schools from across Iowa, earning points based on race placements. ADM has already qualified for the state tournament next week in Marshalltown, joining other central Iowa programs like Gilbert and Ames.
Square Enix’s Bold New Era: Brand New IP & Collab Strategy
Square Enix, the famous Japanese company that created Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, is getting ready for one of the biggest changes in its history. Thanks to a new relationship, a new piece of intellectual property, and a full-on internal reboot, a completely different future is underway. Early signs show that it’s not […]
Square Enix, the famous Japanese company that created Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, is getting ready for one of the biggest changes in its history. Thanks to a new relationship, a new piece of intellectual property, and a full-on internal reboot, a completely different future is underway. Early signs show that it’s not just about change but also about development.
They recently launched a surprise partnership with TBS Television, the Japanese media giant best known for making Sasuke, which is better known in the West as Ninja Warrior. Using a unique idea, this unexpected partnership will create a brand-new video game. Still, this isn’t a normal crossing. Television and video games are coming together in a new way with the launch of “TBS Games,” the network’s new gaming brand.
The intentions behind the future game are clear, but details are still being kept secret. The project will probably be different from anything either company has tried before because it will combine Square Enix’s skill at telling stories and making RPGs with TBS’s creativity in making active and physical entertainment. Industry insiders think this could lead to a mix of combat and RPG systems—think Ninja Warrior meets Final Fantasy—but neither the genre nor the direction of the gameplay has been officially confirmed.
Everyone is waiting for a better look at this joint effort, but the TBS partnership is only one piece of a much bigger picture. A three-year overhaul of Square Enix’s whole game creation model has also begun. Although it was first announced in May 2024, this remake is now fully underway and is expected to change the company until March 2027. The strategy has changed clearly: fewer games of better quality.
The company’s most recent financial report explained how it plans to stop putting out a lot of mid-level games. Instead, the business is focusing on developing big franchises and putting quality over quantity. As a result of this change, development resources will be grouped, eliminating the division that often led to inconsistent results. In real life, this means fewer projects being outsourced, more work being done in-house, and a stronger focus on key studios taking full responsibility for their intellectual properties from start to finish.
This approach is already changing how things are set up within the publisher. Many plans were publicly canceled, including the mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link, which had been in development. These budget cuts were made to simplify the company’s production and ensure that only projects that meet the new standard for “high quality” move forward. While cancellations usually cause worry, in this case, they show that people are trying to cut back and focus their resources where they are most needed.
Unsurprisingly, this plan is based on big series like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. The highly anticipated remake trio continues with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Kingdom Hearts IV, which are still top priorities and are still set to come out by 2027. It will be emphasized again how polished, big, and accessible these tentpole titles are across all platforms.
Importantly, that last point. Square Enix is no longer happy solely releasing its AAA games on a few systems. Part of the company’s larger plan to start over is for its biggest games to be available on more platforms. Insiders often call the next-generation Nintendo Switch, which was announced to have Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, a great example of this. Today is a big day for Square Enix’s publishing strategy: they are now welcoming new platforms and bigger fan groups.
Better project management, streamlined studio pipelines, and new leadership roles are backing the change from within. The goal is to reduce the hectic last-minute work that has been a problem for many coders lately. Square Enix wants to strengthen institutional knowledge and ensure consistency from one title to the next by bringing the game creation process together within dedicated teams and reducing the need for outside partners.
An important part of this new plan is to use old IP, but the fact that they are working with TBS shows that original ideas are still welcome. New intellectual property used to make a brand-new game is a strong sign that Square Enix isn’t just staying in its comfort zone. In addition to changing how it makes games, the company also wants to change the stories it tells and the people it touches.
This happens at a time when Japanese companies, like Square Enix, are feeling more pressure to change with the times and appeal to wider audiences around the world. Language-heavy, regionally focused RPGs are giving way to a more diverse, dramatic, and globally accessible style. Quadrant is trying to prepare Square Enix for the next generation of games by reducing the number of projects it works on and putting more resources into each one.
The risks are high, but so are the benefits. Square Enix wants to return to the top of the gaming industry by focusing on high-quality games, cross-platform compatibility, and groundbreaking new partnerships. This isn’t just about fixing past mistakes; it’s also about making the future sustainable and meaningful for everyone.
The company clearly takes its part in the current gaming world very seriously. It’s not focused on trends or putting out material quickly. Not now, but in the future: fewer games of higher quality and a wider audience. There are already big games in the works at Square Enix, and a new IP is on the way, so the company seems ready to keep its promise.
The risk won’t pay off until 2027, when the full effects of the reboot will be seen. But there is one thing for sure: Square Enix’s future is not going to be the same as before. New beginnings are exciting, and the next few years could change what gamers can expect from one of the most famous game companies.
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