Gaming
Anandabazar’s Shabdo Jabdo 2023: Bengali word game for students
Mumbai: Following the tremendous success of 2022, Anandabazar Online is thrilled to announce the upcoming edition of the highly anticipated Bengali word game Shabdo Jobdo. A delightful game incorporating Bengali words in the form of a quiz, Shabdo Jobdo serves as an enjoyable tool for mastering the Bengali language. By fostering a connection with the linguistic roots of Bengali, the game aims to keep the younger generation engaged with and passionate about their heritage.
This year, the competition will cover a larger battlefield and will be conducted in several stages. Students from classes eight to 12 from over 100 schools in West Bengal will be selected to participate in the preliminary rounds, involving written tests organised at their respective institutions. The top five students from each school will form a team to represent their school in the final rounds. The top three teams will be awarded attractive prizes at the end of the grand finale.
Anandabazar Patrika, an esteemed newspaper with a century-long legacy, has become a trusted commentator on all things Bengali. The publication’s digital platform, anandabazar.com, has established itself as a formidable presence in the world of digital news over two decades. Apart from hard news, the news portal covers entertainment, sports, business, education and provides a window into the vibrant Bengali lifestyle.
Above all, Bengalis take immense pride in their language and Anandabazar Online has helped showcase new forms and offerings of the language in innovative ways. Shabdo Jobdo is one such pioneering effort which ensures young minds remain interested and connected with their mother tongue.
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.
