Gaming
Ludium Lab, ACCESS Europe and XPENG present Europe’s cloud gaming platform
Mumbai: ACCESS Europe GmbH, Ludium Lab, and XPENG announced they have collaborated to make cloud gaming for in-car displays a reality. This project combines ACCESS’s IVI (in-vehicle infotainment) technology with Ludium Lab’s cloud gaming platform to enable XPENG customers to enjoy state-of-the-art cloud gaming.
The collaboration sees SoraStream white-labelled as XPLAY from Ludium Lab, and enabled through the ACCESS TwineTM for Car (Twine4Car) app store platform from ACCESS Europe provided in XPENG vehicles. XPLAY gives users access to a large catalogue of PC, mobile, and console games, including major AAA games and games exclusive to Ludium Lab.
XPENG vice chairman and president Brian Gu said, “In-car entertainment is an increasingly important part of the car-buying decision, so offering an exciting portfolio of audio, games, and video entertainment through XPLAY is critical, The collaboration with ACCESS Europe and Ludium Lab ensures that easy and enjoyable journeys in an XPENG will be engaging for everyone thanks to the high-quality cloud gaming developed specifically for our extra-wide infotainment screens.”
A stand-out feature of the gaming performance is the 60 FPS Full HD games that can be played on XPENG infotainment screens. Users do not need to download any games, and the service includes parental controls. The XPLAY service also uses a monthly subscription model.
ACCESS Europe CEO Aono Masahiro said, “Our Twine4Car Platform and App Store is a content aggregation platform that for the first time brings together the latest in IVI technology and premium content in a fully OEM-branded interface. The addition of Sora Stream from Ludium Lab ensures that XPENG car users have access to a truly engaging mobility experience”
Ludium Lab CEO José Martín said “The collaboration between all three companies has been essential in enabling the launch of this disruptive and innovative in-car cloud-gaming service .Our SoraStream solution offers a large video game catalogue for all kinds of players, making this project an exciting opportunity for XPENG customers.”
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
