eSports
NODWIN Gaming acquires gaming adjacent IPs and gaming talent business from OML Entertainment for INR 73 Crores
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.
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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Zenni Optical, the world’s leading online eyewear retailer, announced a partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company. Designed to integrate eye health education with innovative eyewear solutions for the esports community, the partnership will officially launch at DreamHack festival in Dallas, taking place from May 31 to June 2.
This collaboration will showcase a co-branded collection of lifestyle and competitive eyewear and accessories, highlighting Zenni Optical’s commitment to promoting overall eye health, particularly in addressing issues like eye fatigue and strain. Additionally, the initiative will incorporate essential eye health education across various DreamHack Festivals, in alignment with EFG’s broader mission to foster inclusive gaming worlds and engaged, supported communities.
“DreamHack and ESL represent some of the most community-centric and prestigious competitive events in the world. In their own unique ways, they embody esports for everyone. By partnering with these incredible brands across the gaming and esports spaces, we aim to create engaging experiences that combine eye-health education with innovative eyewear solutions for players and fans at all levels,” said Robb Chiarini, Head of Gaming, Sports, & Events at Zenni Optical.
“We are thrilled to partner with Zenni Optical as the Official Eyewear Partner of DreamHack and ESL. The genuine passion that Zenni has for the esports industry is a refreshing sight to see, and a major driving factor for the decision behind our partnership. Zenni’s ongoing commitment to provide eyewear for everyone mirrors our own drive to create worlds beyond gameplay for gamers everywhere,” Craig Levine, Co-CEO at EFG, said.
Bucks Gaming’s Cream City Convergence Esports Tournament has been selected as a Capcom Pro Tour event, becoming one of just three tournaments in North America chosen to be a qualifier for the prestigious Capcom Cup.
The Capcom Cup is an annual Street Fighter 6 competition, hosted by video game developer and esports organizer Capcom, with a $1 million first place prize. Each year, Capcom selects a small number of tournaments worldwide to serve as Capcom Pro Tour events, with the winning players from each event qualifying for the Capcom Cup. As one of the tournaments selected by Capcom for the honor this year, Cream City Convergence will become the first esports event run by an NBA team to work with a major esports organizer.
Top-ranked Street Fighter 6 players will compete at Cream City Convergence when it returns for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 24, at Baird Center. In addition to Street Fighter 6, this year’s tournament will also have brackets for Tekken 8; Super Smash Bros Ultimate; Super Smash Bros Melee; and Guilty Gear: Strive.
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has announced Kambi and Abios, its esports data subsidiary, as new ESIC Anti-Corruption Supporters. This partnership signals the alignment of Kambi’s longstanding commitment to corporate probity and sports integrity with ESIC’s ongoing battle against match-fixing and corruption in esports.
Kambi and Abios join a distinguished class of other Anti-Corruption Supporter stakeholders who have historically worked with ESIC to ensure that attacks against the competitive integrity of esports competition are appropriately reported and dealt with. Anti-Corruption Supporters assist ESIC in investigating suspicious betting activity, supporting ESIC’s broader mission to combat cheating and betting fraud in the esports industry. Kambi and Abios’ entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class will see the entities actively work with ESIC to assist in ESIC’s mission to disrupt, prevent, investigate and prosecute all attempts to compromise competitive integrity in esport competition.
Abios’ Managing Director and Founder, Anton Janér, commented: “Our mission at Abios has always been to enable the sustainable growth of esports. As such, we’re incredibly excited to join ESIC in their mission to future-proof esports through combatting match-fixing and other integrity-related malpractices. Fair play is a crucial component in ensuring the viability of esports as a long-term community and investment and we hope to be able to support the industry together with ESIC going forward.”
Stephen Hanna, ESIC’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Kambi and Abios as Anti-Corruption Supporters. Kambi and Abios are well trusted and recognised operators in their respective industries, and their entrance into the Anti-Corruption Supporter class of ESIC membership emphasises their shared commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play within the esports industry.”
The post Kambi and Abios Join ESIC as Anti-Corruption Supporters appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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