Asia
Nazara partners with Griffin Gaming Partners one of the largest global venture funds exclusively focused on gaming Nazara Commits 30 Cr to Griffin Gaming Partners Fund II over next 3 years
Nazara Technologies Limited an India based, diversified gaming and sports media company and its wholly owned subsidiary Nazara Technologies FZ LLC announced investment in Griffin Gaming Partners (Griffin) Fund II, L.P as a Limited Partner in the Fund. Nazara Dubai is a Limited partner in Griffin Gaming Partners Fund II, L.P for a capital commitment not exceeding USD 4 Million (INR 30 Crores), payable in cash, in one or more tranches. Nazara Dubai will invest up to USD 1.34 Million (INR 10 Crores) upfront while the rest of USD 2.66 Million (INR 20 Crores) will be deployed over a period of 3 years.
Griffin Gaming Partners Fund II was founded by Peter Levin, Phil Sanderson, and Nick Tuosto, with LionTree as a strategic partner to the Fund. The firm prefers to invest in gaming platforms and infrastructure, gaming content, and game studios. Griffin Gaming Partners Fund II is a leading venture capital firm singularly focused on investing in the global gaming market. The company has decades of investment, advisory and operational experience in the space.
Nazara, with this proposed investment, aims to become part of global network of Limited Partners (“LP”) of Griffin as well as its investee companies. Access to this network should foster strategic partnership with Nazara’s subsidiaries including but not limited to emerging market partnerships, investments etc. Management believes that the company aims to leverage the Griffin network for the following strategic initiatives:
- Potential partnerships and/ or potential investment into Nazara and its subsidiaries.
- Securing deal flow for future M&A from the current portfolio of the funds as well as inflow of deals coming to funds.
- Co-investment opportunities into highly sought-after founders/ companies.
Nazara Technologies CEO Manish Agarwal, “Griffin Gaming Partners led by Peter, Phil and Nick has established itself the go to gaming fund for entrepreneurs across the world looking to raise smart money. The value addition which the Griffin team brings to the founding team is priceless and hence this partnership with Griffin will act as catalyst to accelerate growth of Nazara’s footprint in local Indian and global gaming ecosystem.”
“Gaming is truly global and is projected to reach a staggering $256 billion of annual consumer spend in 2025. Having key strategic partnerships such as Nazara in the rapidly scaling geography of the Indian subcontinent is a significant benefit for Griffin. What Manish and the team at Nazara have built is highly differentiated and their culture is a spot-on fit with our strategy,” said Peter Levin, Managing Director, Griffin Gaming Partners.
In addition to the investment in Griffin Gaming Partners Fund II Nazara has acquired multiple companies over the past few years. Nazara has placed itself in a leading position in esports, interactive gaming and gamified early learning space with the ‘Friends of Nazara’ network. Nazara has acquired a majority stake in Nodwin Gaming Pvt. Ltd; Next Wave Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., which operates World Cricket Championship (WCC), the largest mobile-based cricket simulation game, in addition to investment in Absolute Sports Private Limited, which operates Sportskeeda and Paper Boat Apps Private Limited – gamified early learning subscription app and OpenPlay – Skill Gaming.
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appointments
OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion
OS Studios has appointed Ishaan Arya as Country Manager for India, tasking him with leading the agency’s expansion across newly established hubs in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Mumbai. The appointment was announced on 25 June, 2026 in Bengaluru.
OS Studios, a Project Worldwide agency, said it recently entered the Indian market and will deploy its ‘Fan Z’ approach for brands looking to engage with gaming, esports and live events audiences in South Asia. The company said the expansion will leverage the infrastructure and production capabilities of sister agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) India.
“The future of gaming will be shaped by the communities that care about it most, and few markets embody that more than India,” said John Higgins, CEO of OS Studios. “To build something meaningful, you have to be part of the culture, not looking in from the outside. Ishaan understands that better than anyone. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want building the future of OS Studios in India.”
In the role, Arya will oversee operations, drive strategic brand partnerships, and scale local capabilities, according to the company. “Brands are investing heavily in Indian gaming, but true fan experience is too often an afterthought,” said Rasheed Sait, Chief Growth Officer for India and South Asia at Project Worldwide. “Alongside GPJ India’s experiential footprint, OS Studios will set a new standard for fan engagement in the region.”
Arya previously co-founded The Esports Club and most recently served as Vice President of Partnerships at Nodwin Gaming, where he led Comic Con India. “A massive gap remains between brand intent and authentic community engagement in India,” said Arya. “I’m thrilled to leverage Project Worldwide and GPJ India’s operational strength to build culture-defining experiences for brands and fans alike.”
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Asia
PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion
PhilWeb Corporation, a Philippine Stock Exchange-listed technology company serving licensed digital entertainment and gaming platforms, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a ₱2.02 billion strategic equity investment by prominent business leader Lance Y. Gokongwei.
The investment marks a significant milestone in PhilWeb’s transformation into an AI-enabled technology infrastructure company serving the regulated digital entertainment sector. Beyond the capital infusion, PhilWeb expects to benefit from Mr. Gokongwei’s strategic perspective, institutional experience and extensive business network as the Company strengthens its long-term technology roadmap and growth strategy.
Strategic Capital Infusion for AI and Technology Expansion
Under the definitive agreement, Mr. Gokongwei will invest an aggregate amount of ₱2,026,978,840.00 in PhilWeb. The strategic placement will be facilitated through a proposed increase in the Company’s Authorised Capital Stock from ₱2.6 billion to ₱3.6 billion, subject to the required corporate, stockholder and regulatory approvals.
The proceeds are intended to strengthen PhilWeb’s balance sheet and support the integration of advanced data and AI capabilities across its core technology roadmap:
• Enhanced Risk Management and Compliance Systems: Developing intelligent platform tools to support real-time risk scoring, transaction monitoring, suspicious activity detection and responsible gaming controls.
• Data Analytics and Platform Intelligence: Building secure data models designed to interpret user behaviour, optimise player lifecycle management and improve platform operating efficiency.
• Intelligent Recommendation and Retention Tools: Investing in automated recommendation engines to help licensed operators improve content discovery, platform performance and user engagement.
• Operational Automation: Enhancing internal and partner-facing systems through automation tools to optimise compliance workflows, reporting and high-throughput platform monitoring.
Strengthening PhilWeb’s Technology Moat
The transaction reflects growing investor interest in scalable technology infrastructure serving regulated digital entertainment ecosystems. PhilWeb has established a strong market footprint across the Philippine digital gaming and entertainment ecosystem, working with leading licensed operators, integrated resorts and platform partners including Hann Casino, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, NUSTAR Resort and Casino, FBM Philippines and PT Gaming. The integration of next-generation AI tools is expected to further strengthen PhilWeb’s domestic B2B infrastructure layer, enabling the Company to deliver greater operational efficiency, stronger compliance support and more scalable platform capabilities to its ecosystem partners while evaluating potential regional growth opportunities over time as market and regulatory conditions permit.
Management Perspective
“We are profoundly honored to welcome Lance Y. Gokongwei as a strategic anchor investor in PhilWeb. His investment represents a strong endorsement of our technology platform and long-term vision. Data intelligence and automated compliance tools are becoming essential layers of modern digital infrastructure. With Lance’s strategic investment and business network, PhilWeb is well-positioned to expand our AI technology roadmap, serve our established ecosystem of leading partners more efficiently, and evaluate long-term growth opportunities,” said Edgar Brian K. Ng, President of PhilWeb Corporation.
The post PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
ArenaPlus
DigiPlus Wins “Digital Operator of the Year” Award at 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific
DigiPlus Interactive Corp. (DigiPlus), the country’s premier digital entertainment provider behind BingoPlus, ArenaPlus and GameZone, has been named Digital Operator of the Year at the 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific, marking its second consecutive annual win in the category and reinforcing its leading industry position in the APAC region. The recognition was announced during the Global Gaming Awards ceremony held on June 2 at Conrad Manila.
One of the international gaming industry’s most prestigious awards programmes, the Global Gaming Awards, powered by Global Gaming Insider, recognise excellence in innovation, player experience, responsible gaming and operational excellence across both land-based and online gaming sectors. Winners are selected by a panel of senior industry executives with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the market, with the voting process independently adjudicated by KPMG to ensure rigor and transparency.
The Digital Operator of the Year category recognises operators that have demonstrated outstanding growth, innovation and player engagement over the past 12 months. DigiPlus emerged victorious from a shortlist of eight nominees, besting seven other operators across APAC.
Judges highlighted DigiPlus’ strong 2025 performance, the addition of over 500 new e-games on its platforms, and the rollout of industry-first responsible gaming tools. The company also continues its momentum in 2026 through major partnerships, including recently launched collaborations with Manny Pacquiao and the National Basketball Association (NBA).
In addition to its top industry honor, DigiPlus earned further recognition for its social impact initiatives, securing the first runner-up spot in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the Year category.
The awards body commended DigiPlus for its impressive CSR work via the DigiPlus Foundation which delivers healthcare, education, disaster relief, and social empowerment programs to over 1 million beneficiaries and counting across the Philippines.
“We are honored to once again be recognized by the Global Gaming Awards. These prestigious international industry accolades reflect DigiPlus’ unwavering pursuit of excellence and our drive to continuously innovate, deepen player engagement, and champion responsible gaming across BingoPlus, ArenaPlus, and GameZone,” said DigiPlus Chairman Eusebio H. Tanco.
“Together with the recognition for DigiPlus Foundation, this back-to-back win affirms our commitment to delivering world-class digital entertainment to Filipinos while contributing to nation-building.”
The Global Gaming Awards also hold annual editions in the Americas and EMEA regions, recognising industry excellence across the globe.
The post DigiPlus Wins “Digital Operator of the Year” Award at 2026 Global Gaming Awards Asia-Pacific appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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