Gaming
Skyesports reveals Skyesports Championship 2024 trophy
Mumbai: The Skyesports Championship 2024 is entering its Playoffs stage with only six teams left in the fray for the prestigious trophy and the lion’s share of the humongous $300,000 prize pool. After an intense group stage from 24 to 26 July, the playoffs brackets have now been locked in.
From group A, Aurora Gaming, The Mongolz, and ENCE have qualified, while Eternal Fire, 3DMAX, and Amkal Esports have made it to the Playoffs from Group B.
The first-placed teams from each group, Aurora Gaming and Eternal Fire, have directly secured a bye to the second round of the playoffs, which is the semifinals. Therefore, the quarterfinals schedule on 27 July 2024 is as follows:
● Mongolz vs. Amkal: 4 pm IST
● 3DMAX vs. ENCE: 8 pm IST
The winner of the Mongolz vs Amkal match will go on to face the Turkish powerhouses Eternal Fire. This team has a unique accolade in the Skyesports Championship as they have gone undefeated so far. If they manage to win the trophy on Sunday, they will have gone through the entire tournament without losing a single series.
The playoffs will follow a single-elimination bracket with each match being a best-of-three series.
Commenting on the playoffs, Skyesports’ project manager Sudarshan S said, “We ran into some technical issues on day one of the Skyesports Championship 2024; however, our team was able to address them and put up a good show throughout the group stage. Now, as we make our way to the Playoffs, the Skyesports Championship 2024 will make its way to the main stage at the Taj Lands End, Mumbai, with a true LAN spirit. There is a lot at stake – as besides the $300,000 prize pool – teams are fighting for a gorgeous trophy.”
Skyesports also revealed the Skyesports Championship 2024 trophy, with a blue color scheme and crystals to embody the essence of excellence and prestige. The design, featuring a striking blue hue and intricate crystal accents, reflects the championship’s grandeur and the competitive spirit of the esports athletes.
Fans can catch all the action live on the Skyesports YouTube and Twitch channels.
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.
