Gaming
Infinix Levels Up with True Rippers for a Power-Packed BGMI Partnership
MUMBAI: It’s game on in the world of mobile Esports and Infinix just hit a headshot with this one. In a move that fuses silicon with swagger, smartphone brand Infinix India has teamed up with one of the country’s top BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India) outfits, True Rippers. The team will now compete under the newly minted moniker Infinix True Rippers, marking Infinix’s maiden foray into the Esports arena and its first-ever global Esports team collaboration.
This strategic alliance comes ahead of Infinix’s June 3 launch of the GT 30 Pro, a gaming-ready smartphone with 120 FPS BGMI certification and dual gaming shoulder triggers an Indian segment-first. With this hardware-meets-hustle partnership, Infinix is aiming squarely at India’s Gen Z gaming cohort, where play isn’t just pastime, it’s purpose.
“At Infinix, we’re not just witnessing the gaming revolution, we’re driving it,” said Infinix India CEO Anish Kapoor. “Teams like True Rippers are the driving force behind India’s growing Esports culture. Our collaboration is rooted in a shared belief that gaming in India is more than just play; it’s a powerful aspiration for the youth… Together, we’re setting the stage towards strengthening the Indian Esports ecosystem.”
Currently, Infinix True Rippers is battling it out in BMPS 2025, an invite-only Krafton-hosted tournament that wraps with a finale in New Delhi next month. The team’s form is impressive, having placed sixth at the BGIS in Kolkata just weeks ago.
The roster includes:
1 Gunjan Thakur aka Jelly
2 Swaraj Singh aka KioLmao
3 Ngurang Takar aka Ninzae
4 Samuel Nabam aka SAM
But this partnership isn’t just about trophies, it’s about storytelling. True Rippers will co-create content with Infinix, plugging directly into the lifestyle and aspirations of Indian gamers.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Infinix, a brand that shares our vision for trendy storytelling and performance excellence,” said True Rippers CEO Yashwanth AR. “This carefully curated collaboration is a step towards redefining how brand narratives can go beyond conventional naming rights deals.”
With 454 million gamers in India in 2023 (expected to hit 730 million by 2028), and BGMI contributing heavily to this boom, the Infinix–True Rippers union couldn’t have come at a better time.
Earlier this year, BGIS 2025 notched a peak concurrent viewership of 485,132 and over 9.4 million watch hours, according to Esports Charts. It’s proof that this isn’t just about games, it’s about culture, community, and carving out a space in a booming economy of attention.
With GT 30 Pro on deck and True Rippers on fire, this duo is ready to take the leaderboard and Indian gaming to the next level.
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.
