Gaming
Smaaash launches industry-first web-based booking engine
Mumbai: Mumbai: Smaaash Entertainment Pvt Ltd has announced the launch of its new web-based booking engine, a first in the industry. This platform allows customers to book slots for the bowling alley or cricket simulator from their phones or laptops. The launch has been successful, generating approximately Rs 10 million in sales and registering over 11,000 active users within the first three months, with more than 400,000 visitors across India. Of the active users, 27 per cent have booked games, bowling, and other activities more than twice. The platform also offers weekly deals and promotions on gaming, bowling, cricket, Go-Karting (exclusive to Mumbai and Barnala centres), and F&B (available at select centres).
“Smaaash is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of gaming and entertainment. Our new booking engine provides unparalleled convenience, allowing customers to book their favourite activities from anywhere. We’re thrilled with the positive response and are committed to continuously enhancing the Smaaash experience,” said, Smaaash Entertainment Pvt Ltd head of sales and operations Divyamaan Shekhawat.
Smaaash continues to redefine the entertainment landscape with its novel and exciting offerings. Smaaash remains committed to delivering never-before-seen gaming experiences. With cutting-edge multiplayer VR, carnival games, and redemption games, Smaaash consistently introduces new gaming formats across its 12 centres nationwide.
Leveraging influencer tie-ups, Smaaash has collaborated with a diverse range of influencers, including mom, food, lifestyle, kid, and travel influencers. This broad spectrum of partnerships has amplified its immense popularity. Additionally, Smaaash is the preferred gaming destination for legendary cricketer Brett Lee and renowned Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. They are frequent visitors who have graced the Mumbai centre located at Utopia City, Lower Parel, experiencing the thrill of bowling, GoKarting, and cricket. These high-profile visits further establish Smaaash as the premier destination for entertainment.
Smaaash’s format of adult & kids gaming entertainment centre combines games with delectable F&B, catering to a plethora of audiences. At Smaaash, customers can experience what they never thought possible, all under one roof. This branding direction highlights Smaaash’s ability to offer diverse entertainment experiences tailored to different audience segments. For the daylight community, it offers perfect settings for birthday parties, school picnics, family outings, and college student hangouts. The moonlight community can enjoy match screenings, ladies’ nights, kitty parties, dance events, and various corporate gatherings such as RnR, dealer meets, team outings, distributor meets, office parties, team bonding events, quarter-end celebrations, and financial year-end celebrations.
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.
