Asia
Revenge Esports, True Rippers, Entity, Reckoning and Walkouts book their spots in the LAN Finals of ESPL 2
Team Revenge Esports emerged winners, while True Rippers and Entity bagged the second and third spots respectively in the first round of Invitational Qualifiers of the second edition of ESports Premier League to book their spots in the ESPL LAN Finals.
Besides, Team Reckoning and Walkouts comfortably secured fourth and fifth positions respectively to seal their berths in the ESPL LAN Finals.
The top 16 of India’s highly talented teams competed in the first invitational round from July 9 to 17, playing a total of 20 matches each. The round witnessed multiple nail-biting and exciting matches between these top teams.
Revenge Esports, winners of PUBG Mobile India Tour (PMIT) 2019, finished at the top of the table with a total of 230 points (Finish Points – 99 + Position Points – 131) and 4 Winner Winner Chicken Dinners (WWCD). The team’s star assaulter Akshay was the top performer on the final day with 44 finishes as well as the top fragger overall in the first invitational round.
True Rippers, who finished third in the MediaTek BGMI Gaming Masters last year, bagged second place with 216 points (Finish Points – 95 + Position Points – 121).
Entity finished third with 200 points (Finish Points – 97 + Position Points – 103). The Mumbai-based esports team had previously won the Mafia Cup in 2019 and the PUBG Mobile Club Open – Fall Split: South Asia.
Reckoning Esports, who parted ways with their previously successful BGMI roster earlier this year, contested with their new lineup and were in first place after an outstanding performance in Week 1. However, they failed to sustain their performance in Week 2 and fell down to 10th place to finish fourth overall with 182 points (Finish Points – 83 + Position Points – 99).
Team Walkouts were the final team to make it to the LAN Finals after accumulating 169 points (Finish Points – 67 + Position Points – 102). They were level on points with Gravity Esports but finished above as they had three WWCDs compared to Gravity’s two.
“After the Open Qualifiers, we were happy to see the top teams fight so fiercely in the first round of Invitational Qualifiers. These teams raised the level of competition as most of them have been successful in the past in various other tournaments. This attracts a lot of viewers eager to see their favourite teams and players in action. I wish all of these 5 teams the very best and will be looking forward to seeing them play against the other qualified teams in the LAN Finals.” said Vishwalok Nath, director of ESPL after the Invitational 1 results.
The league is being played in two separate stages in the initial phase — online qualifiers and invitational qualifiers — to shortlist the top 16 teams. The Online Qualifiers saw two underdog teams; GOG Esports and Dragon Esports make it to the LAN finals in what was their first major tournament appearance.
The second phase of invitational qualifiers is underway since July 18 and will end on July 27. The final eight teams will progress to the Finals from this round of invitational qualifiers.
Recently, ESports Premier League (ESPL) extended its association with youth icon and renowned Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff as the face of India’s first-ever franchise-based Esports league for the second consecutive year. India Today Gaming has also roped in global smartphone brand, TECNO Mobile as Presenting Sponsor for the tournament.
The smartphone maker is committed to supporting and helping the esports community with its gaming-focused smartphones like the latest, Tecno Pova 3. Esports fans can also watch the BGMI action live on India’s leading streaming platform, LOCO, the exclusive digital broadcast partner for ESPL Season 2.
The tournament organizer has also signed Ishq FM as the exclusive radio partner for the ongoing tournament.
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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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