Gaming
Battle royale gets a cash boost as BMPS 2025 ups prize pool to Rs 4 crore
MUMBAI: Drop in, level up and cash out Krofton India has gone all in with Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series (BMPS) 2025, announcing a blockbuster Rs 4 crore prize pool, the highest in the tournament’s history. The mega bump in winnings signals a big moment for Indian Esports, putting the spotlight firmly on mobile gaming’s rise from hobby to headline act.
The top 16 BGMI teams have locked in their slots for the Grand Finals, set to light up New Delhi’s Yashobhoomi Convention Centre from July 4 to 6. With the crowd roaring and the stakes sky-high, fans can expect three days of edge-of-the-seat action, tactical brilliance and adrenaline-fuelled eliminations.
The elite contenders include heavyweights like iqoo 8Bit (led by Saumraj), Oneplus Gods Reign (featuring Destro), and rising stars like 2oP Official, TWOB and Team Eggy. All 16 teams have battled their way through a gruelling qualifying gauntlet, showing off the kind of skill that’s fuelling the BGMI frenzy across India.
The Final 16 Squads:
● Nonx eSports
● Aryan x TMG Gaming
● Genesis Esports
● Los Hermanos
● Team Eggy
● Team Forever
● TWOB
● Oneplus K9 Esports
● Gods Omen
● Oneplus Gods Reign
● iqoo 8Bit
● Team Insane Esports
● Rising Inferno Esports
● 4TR Official
● 4Merical Esports
● 2oP Official
“The Rs 4 crore prize pool is not just a number, it’s a message,” said Krofton India associate director of esports Karan Pathak. “It tells every aspiring gamer that this is a career path with passion, prizes and potential. The BMPS Grand Finals will be a celebration of everything Indian Esports has grown into and where it’s going next.”
Even if you’re not on the Yashobhoomi stage, you can still win big. 1 Until July , players can rack up Discovery Island (DI) points in Classic Mode for exclusive BGMI Esports outfits and up to 50 in-game rewards. Hit 3000 Exploration Points and unlock all six DI rewards because who says the audience can’t be in the game too?
With a record prize pool, premium venue, fan-first features and big-brand partnerships, BMPS 2025 isn’t just the grand finale, it’s a new beginning for Indian mobile Esports. And as the top 16 prepare to drop in, the rest of India is getting ready to watch history being made one clutch play at a time.
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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.
