Asia
E-sports gaming platform Gamerji raises $1.1 Million in Pre Series A round
India’s leading Esports gaming platform Gamerji has raised $ 1.1 million in a Pre-Series A round led by Unicorn India Ventures. The round also saw participation from Stadia Ventures, Urmin Group family office and existing investors. Gamerji plans to use the fresh funds to enhance tournament organization technology, build social features for the gamers & and expand to MENA and south east Asia.
Founded in 2019 by gaming expert and serial entrepreneur Soham Thacker, GamerJi is India’s leading Esports tournament platform where users can play tournaments of their favorite games, host matches, communicate, share content & win prizes. Headquartered in Ahmedabad, the company has consolidated procedures such as registrations, player management and payments, making it a one-stop platform for Esports tournaments.
An increasing number of young video gamers view competitive gaming as a career opportunity, rather than just a recreational activity. Today, gamers need platforms that can provide them with competitive exposure to help in their Esports journey and hone their skills. Gamerji believes in bridging the gap between amateur to professional level gamers through their tournaments.
Gamerji is currently serving 2.3 Million gamers from India and has conducted more than 29K tournaments till date. Since the seed round in Dec 2020, Gamerji has increased its user base by 3X and is conducting more than 200 tournaments every day for more than 15 titles.
The company plans to be the first step for all aspiring gamers to start their Esports journey by organizing tournaments and plans to gain more than 5 Million users from India, while also expanding its tournament services in MENA & SEA in 2022.
Bhaskar Majumdar, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, says, “The gaming industry in India is finally coming of age as the government is setting up the AVGC hub in Bangalore and against the backdrop of metaverse and Web 3.0. ESports is growing the fastest within the overall gaming market. Gamerji has demonstrated this thesis well given their growth numbers. We continue to share the vision of the company and back them as they look to expand to other international geographies.”
Soham Thacker, Founder & CEO, Gamerji, says, “At Gamerji, we strive to provide gamers with a platform to begin their Esports journey by participating in daily competitive tournaments, building their stats & stand a chance to make a mark in the gaming world. Esports is still at a very early stage in India and there is a lot of talent that needs to be explored. Gamerji intends to be a platform of choice where gamers can showcase their skills, build their stats & grow the community. We are glad to receive constant support from Unicorn India Ventures along with our other investors”
Valay Patel, CTO, Gamerji: “In the past 12 months, we have added 1.7 Million users, conducted 21k+ tournaments, launched tournaments IPs in Gamerji Community Challenge & College Gaming league. We will use the fresh funds to improve our product experience with innovations in technology and upgrade the infrastructure to serve the next set of 7 to 8 million users along with expanding the platform to other strategic territories”
Gamerji launched its new version in Nov 2021 with exciting features like enhanced profile, gaming stats, community creation, Esports content & collegiate leagues.
As per a recent report by the All India Gaming Federation in 2020, there were 365 million online gamers in the country, with the number expected to rise to 510 million by 2022, with a corresponding growth of women gamers. GamerJi addresses aspiring gamers in India to provide them with evolving gaming possibilities and aims to position India as a global leader in Esports. This shows a massive potential for the gaming industry to grow in India and Gamerji aims to be the market leader in this segment.
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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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