Gaming
Revenant Esports and GIGABYTE | AORUS reveal CS:GO roster for Skyesports Masters
Mumbai: Revenant Esports, one of Asia’s fastest-growing esports organizations, has announced that GIGABYTE | AORUS, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is its official partner for the Skyesports Masters, India’s first franchised esports league with a Rs. 2,00,00,000 prize pool.
Through this partnership, Revenant Esports will be powered with cutting edge technology provided by GIGABYTE | AORUS. The manufacturer, on the other hand, will leverage the partnership with one of India’s top esports organisations to showcase their products to a zillenial audience at the Skyesports Masters, India’s biggest gaming tournament.
Commenting on the partnership, GIGABYTE India director Sunil Grewal said, “At GIGABYTE | AORUS, we are dedicated to empowering gamers with the best hardware solutions. We are collaborating with Revenant Esports, one of the strongest teams in the historic Skyesports Masters and providing them with the state of art equipment to get a competitive edge in the tournament. Together, we will push the boundaries of excellence and leave a mark in India’s biggest gaming tournament.”
Revenant Esports has also revealed its CS:GO roster, comprising a blend of young blood and veterans. With three Indian players and two international imports, the roster is set to be one of the strongest in the Skyesports Masters. The roster is as follows:
● Maclane “gump” Cross
● Harsh “F1redup” Jain
● Jaspreet “SpawN” Singh
● Sadab “SKwow” Khan
● Muhammad-Ridzuan “3nable” Hazi
Commenting on the new CS:GO roster, Revenant Esports founder and CEO Rohit Jagasia said, “We are really excited to finally pull back the curtains on our CS:GO roster. Counter-Strike has been a revolutionary title for esports and our involvement in India’s biggest gaming tournament, the Skyesports Masters, is a testament to our remarkable growth. Additionally, our partnership with GIGABYTE | AORUS for the Skyesports Masters is a testament to the sustainable model that is being built by this league for Indian esports.”
Maclane “gump” Cross and Muhammad-Ridzuan “3nable” Hazi, from Australia and Malaysia respectively, are the two international exports into the Revenant Esports CS:GO roster bringing in crucial experience for the team. The squad also includes the talented Indian trio of Harsh “F1redup” Jain, Jaspreet “SpawN” Singh, and Sadab “SKwow” Khan who are three of the best CS:GO pros that the country has to offer. They are also a part of the squad set to represent the country at the IESF World Championship 2023 and will be traveling to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later this month to hone India’s colors at the Asia-Pacific qualifier.
Commenting on leading the Revenant Esports CS:GO roster, gump said, “I am thrilled to be leading this star-studded roster for Revenant Esports in the upcoming Skyesports Masters. We have a perfect blend of young talent and seasoned veterans, and our diverse backgrounds and experiences will make us a truly formidable force in the tournament. We are here to give it our all and are confident of leaving a mark in the Skyesports Masters.”
The Skyesports Masters, featuring an eye-watering prize pool of Rs. 2,00,00,000, is set to kick off on July 8 with eight franchised teams competing for the title of champions. After a long league stage until 17 Aug, the top four teams will advance to the Playoffs which is set to happen as an on-ground event on 26 and 27 Aug. Revenant Esports’ journey in the tournament will begin on 8 July as they face off against Gods Reign. Fans can catch all the action live on the official Skyesports YouTube channel.
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.
