Gaming
Nodwin Gaming sells EVO stake to RTS
Fighting game tourney eyes global push, Nodwin partners on emerging markets amid 58 per cent revenue surge to Rs 530.3 crore.
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming just pulled off the ultimate combo breaker ditching its full stake in EVO, the fighting game world’s undisputed champ, to long-time ally RTS. Announced on 20 February 2026, the move frees up firepower for EVO’s global scaling dreams, with hefty investments on the horizon. Nodwin isn’t vanishing though; it’ll stick around as a key partner, flexing its regional muscle, ops know-how, and community ties to grow the tourney in emerging markets like the Global South.
EVO, a two-decade FGC (Fighting Game Community) cornerstone, started as a grassroots huddle and morphed into esports royalty drawing players, publishers, and superfans worldwide. RTS steps up to steward this next-level expansion, honouring the community vibe while plotting world domination.
For Nodwin, it’s a savvy portfolio shuffle: honing in on high-growth zones, local IPs, and ecosystem builds. The timing’s spot-on, they flipped EBITDA positive in Q3 2025, boasting 58 per cent year-on-year revenue growth to Rs 530.3 crore (USD 58.5 million) over the first nine months of FY26.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director, Akshat Rathe, framed it neatly, “EVO represents the passion, resilience, and spirit of the fighting game community… For Nodwin, this is a strategic step that sharpens our focus on markets where gaming is witnessing extraordinary momentum.”
More details on EVO’s emerging-market playbook with Nodwin drop soon. In esports terms, it’s like trading a legendary skin for upgrades smart meta shift that keeps everyone in the arena swinging.
Gaming
Iqoo S8ul wins Rai Star x Gyan Gaming Cup
MOBA Legends squad bags Rs 12.5 lakh after 4-3 final thriller over Godlike from 1,024-team field.
MUMBAI: Iqoo S8ul just farmed the ultimate prize clutching a heart-stopping 4-3 grand final win over Godlike Esports to lift the Rai Star x Gyan Gaming Cup crown in Kolkata on 18 February. The month-long MOBA Legends 5v5 showdown drew a massive 1,024 teams through open qualifiers in single-elimination Bo1 format, with just 16 powering into the main brackets. S8ul Esports’ powerhouse roster IGL Mohammad Saad (Apex), Abhijeet Katkar (Abhi), Mehta Jay (J), Chirag Singh (Radium), Debasish Sana (Anti), and Joseph Nehhunjang (Kakarot) sliced through Group A like a well-timed ultimate, 2-0 Bo3 quarterfinal rout of Megatron Esports, 3-1 Bo5 semifinal domination of PEAK, and a flawless 4-0 Bo7 sweep of Elusivity to storm the decider.
There, composure trumped chaos in a Bo7 nail-biter, netting the squad Rs 12.5 lakh and cementing S8UL’s stranglehold on India’s MOBA scene.
S8ul co-founder Animesh Agarwal beamed, “This victory is a testament to the structure and long-term vision we are building at S8ul. The Indian MOBA ecosystem is entering a new phase of growth… Wins like this validate our investment in building elite lineups.”
IGL Apex, fresh off MLBB Mid Season Cup 2024 at the Esports World Cup ($3 million pool), added, “Coming into this tournament with so many teams, we knew the margin for error would be extremely small… That grand final was one of the most intense series we’ve played as a team and this title belongs to everyone who believed in us.”
For esports newbies, it’s like watching chess on steroids strategy, split-second calls, and crowd-roaring comebacks. S8ul’s run? Pure legend fuel, priming them for bigger global scraps.
