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NODWIN Gaming acquires gaming adjacent IPs and gaming talent business from OML Entertainment for INR 73 Crores

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NODWIN Gaming doubles down on massifying esports by broadbasing the target fan audiences for gaming and esports entertainment.

NODWIN Gaming, South Asia’s leading esports company, and an independent subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Limited, has acquired the Gaming and adjacent IP business of OML Entertainment. NODWIN Gaming has agreed to a consideration of INR 73 crores as part of an agreement concluded between NODWIN Gaming and OML Entertainment. The transaction will provide partial liquidity to OML Entertainment shareholders, including CA Media. Ajay Nair, MD of OML Entertainment, will join the NODWIN Gaming board as part of this transaction and will work with Akshat Rathee, MD of NODWIN Gaming and the NODWIN Gaming management team to ensure smooth integration of the OML IPs with NODWIN Gaming and help with growing NODWIN Gaming’s business.

This acquisition taps into a growing synergy between the two companies. While NODWIN Gaming is known for its esports and gaming expertise. OML Entertainment is known for managing some of India’s biggest gaming & entertainment creators such as Tanmay Bhat, Samay Raina, Suhani Shah, etc. and for owning and executing storied IPs such as the BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender (described by The Guardian as “India’s answer to Glastonbury”), well-attended comedy touring properties such as LOLstars and Headliners and India’s biggest hip-hop league – Breezer Vivid Shuffle. OML Entertainment also works with some of the biggest brands in India to produce well known properties such as the Levi’s Music Week and the hugely successful YouTube FanFest.

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Today’s youth demand an increasingly diverse and engaging experience as the lines between gaming, esports, comedy and music become blurred, and gaming becomes more mainstream. This transaction allows NODWIN Gaming to massify gaming and esports by tapping into emerging synergies in gaming entertainment that a 14–30-year-old is looking for. It enables the firm to build IPs that are relevant to fans and are more brand centric. The OML Entertainment team transferring to NODWIN Gaming as part of the transaction not only has proven capabilities in building world-class live experiences, but also will significantly enhance the multiple esports IPs that NODWIN Gaming organizes through the year including Dreamhack and India Premiership.

Akshat Rathee, Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming says “NODWIN Gaming strongly believes that continuous growth in the IP portfolio is central to building a vibrant ecosystem of fans, talent, broadcasters and brands. This has been the essence of NODWIN Gaming since the early days of creating The India premiership or Dew Arena.  The addition of some of the largest IPs in India like NH7 weekender is going to accelerate the massification of esports and gaming entertainment across the spectrum of fans and brands. The multi-faceted talent that joins us cuts across gaming and pop culture and lays the perfect foundation for NODWIN Gaming to create more IPs. The proven capability of the brilliant team that joins us from OML Entertainment will further ensure that we can execute and monetise our IPs.”

Ajay Nair, Managing Director, OML Entertainment, added, “We believe in the convergence of different pop culture genres and have seen that this has already happened across several platforms and IPs. It makes a lot of sense to consolidate the strengths that OML Entertainment and NODWIN Gaming have in the live IPs and gaming spaces. Over the past years, our experience working with NODWIN Gaming has been very fruitful and we are confident that our live IPs and the teams that execute them have found a good home at NODWIN Gaming. OML Entertainment will continue to focus on building its OTT content production, talent management and branded content businesses. I look forward to working with Akshat and the NODWIN Gaming team to deliver on the true potential of this partnership.”

The total revenue of the acquired business of OML Entertainment during FY20 (pre-COVID) was INR 91 crore with EBITDA of ~10%.  OML Entertainment will continue to consolidate its non-gaming creator-driven content and talent management businesses as it scales its OTT offerings and branded content marketing suite of services that currently works with over 700 creators across the world. This business had clocked revenues of INR 170 Cr in FY 2020 and has grown tremendously ever since.

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GIANTX unveils its team for the Spanish Superliga of League of Legends

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The global esports organization GIANTX has officially presented the roster for its League of Legends Superliga team, the most prestigious esports competition in Spain, organized by the LVP. The roster includes Feisty (midlaner) and Aetinoth (ADC), who continue for another year after establishing themselves as key players for the organization, and newcomers Badlulu (toplaner), Ferret (jungler), and Lospa (support).

The team, known as GIANTX Pride, will be led by Fearless, a veteran coach who has already won three Superliga titles with GIANTX. After previous stints with teams like Guasones and Rebels, Fearless returns to lead this young and promising roster as they pursue the organization’s long-awaited eighth Superliga trophy, with the season set to begin in January 2025.

The roster was revealed during an event at the Home of GIANTX in Málaga, attended by over 150 fans and supported by Opel, the team’s main partner in the Superliga. The event featured activities, giveaways, and a showmatch against Barça Esports, where fans got a first glimpse of the team in action.

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Feisty (South Korea, 2003) and Aetinoth (Turkey, 2005) return for another year, having gained recognition as rising talents with potential for the LEC, Europe’s premier competition in which GIANTX also competes. Badlulu (France, 2002), with prior experience in the Superliga at CASE Esports, joins as the toplaner. Ferret (Turkey, 2001), a promising jungler from the Turkish scene, comes from FUT, while Lospa (South Korea, 2002), a former Iberian Cup champion, joins as support after training in Gen.G Academy.

GIANTX Pride is the most decorated organization in Superliga LVP history, with seven titles to its name. The last victory came in the summer of 2021, and the team is determined to add the elusive eighth trophy to its collection. The Superliga for 2025 will feature ten teams, including Barça Esports, Guasones, Los Heretics, LUA Gaming, Movistar KOI, Ramboot Club, UCAM Esports, VENI VIDI VICI, and ZETA, competing across three splits—winter, spring, and summer.

The LVP, part of Grupo Mediapro, has introduced changes to the Superliga’s format for 2025. The updated calendar will be released soon, setting the stage for another thrilling season.

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GRID Joins IBIA as an Associate Member, Strengthening Esports Integrity

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GRID, an esports data platform, has officially joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as a first esports-focused Associate Member. This collaboration signifies a pivotal moment for esports integrity, aligning GRID with IBIA and its globally recognized integrity-focused members, who monitor over $300bn in sports bets per annum and have a growing focus on esports betting.

With this partnership, GRID and IBIA are committed to collaboratively addressing any integrity issues in esports, fostering trust across stakeholders, and setting a benchmark for excellence in the ecosystem. GRID has been a certified member of IBIA’s Data Standards program since 2022, actively contributing to the development of tailored esports integrity protocols. This membership further underscores GRID’s dedication to transparency and collaboration in combating betting-related corruption within esports.

Since 2018, GRID has operated an internal integrity department pioneering official data-driven solutions for esports. This makes GRID one of the first companies to monitor tournament and data integrity in the competitive sports sector and actively flag and report suspicious behavior, enabling it to collect a large database of integrity reports and insights.

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IBIA is a not-for-profit body that protects regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. It represents over 50 of the world’s leading betting companies which operate over 125 sports betting brands. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets using transactional activity linked to individual customer accounts.

Under the partnership, GRID and IBIA will share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their respective monitoring and intelligence platforms. IBIA members will also benefit from free access to wider integrity-focused resources supplied by GRID.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry. This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We are delighted to welcome GRID as an Associate Member of IBIA. This partnership is a landmark for the esports sector and reflects our commitment to expanding our integrity initiatives into new markets. GRID’s expertise in esports data monitoring and integrity standards is an invaluable asset in our shared mission to combat betting corruption globally.”

 

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ComeOn Group and Astralis unite to drive esports engagement in the Nordics

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ComeOn Group announced a sponsorship partnership between its flagship brand ComeOn! and Denmark based Astralis, one of the most esteemed esports organisations globally. As a global leader in esports, Astralis is providing a vibrant and engaging esports experience that is aligned with ComeOn!’s brand experience and is further enhanced by its focus in providing a leading esports betting destination.

As the official sponsor of Astralis, ComeOn! will be prominently featured across all of their platforms, including social media, team events, and competitive gaming content, boosting their brand exposure in key global markets with a focus on the Nordics. ComeOn! is already known as a vibrant brand in the Nordics and with the increased brand visibility it will be put at the heart of the fast-growing esports scene.

ComeOn Group continues to invest in its Sportsbook product experience that is powered by its proprietary sportsbook platform, where esports holds an important strategic market opportunity with its ever growing demand.

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Juergen Reutter, Chief Executive Officer at ComeOn Group, said: “We are very excited to team up with Astralis as this collaboration not only allows us to showcase our innovative Sportsbook platform but also strengthens our ties to the esports community. This partnership is very much in the heart of one of the fastest growing betting markets globally. Esports has seen great demand by our audiences, and we want to provide the best betting experience for our customers. This partnership is also a testament to our localisation and personalisation focus and by working together with Astralis, we can deliver unique experiences that resonate with our players and elevate the entertainment experience around competitive gaming.”

Mads Rasmussen, Commercial Director at Astralis, said: ”We are proud to present ComeOn Group as our new global partner. This partnership holds great significance for Astralis both as an organization and as a business, and we look forward to bringing the agreement to life, benefiting the vast majority of our fanbase – who are adults. We have undergone a long and very positive process with ComeOn, and the fact that they are European-based with licenses in all our key markets, including Denmark, has been a decisive factor in our decision. Astralis fans, both in Denmark and internationally, can look forward to an innovative new digital activation, which promises to deliver an exciting and engaging experience.”

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