Gaming
CapeTitans Games on bridging the gaps in game creation
KOLKATA: The online gaming ecosystem is evolving rapidly in India. While many aspirant game developers are trying to make their mark on the industry, there is a gap when it comes to conceptualizing a game on the drawing board and selling it in the market. CapeTitans Games is trying to bridge that schism.
According to co-founder and CEO Debasis Kayal, CapeTitans Games is not just another game publishing platform but an incubation centre for talented game designers, developers and indie-game companies. Speaking at GEMS 2020, Kayal said that their aim is to mentor and help thinkers grow.
“We need to create an ecosystem where people can showcase their products, they can concentrate on the development part. We are here for strategic partnership, promoting, funding, giving them insights. Game development requires so many techniques, talents, artwork, so does marketing and promotion,” he stated.
The company touts itself as a launchpad for those who don’t just aim to make it to the store, but want to make revenue from strategic promotion. It so often happens that talented indie game developers with brilliant vision, creativity and skills have no choice but to work with limited resources. This is where CapeTitans steps in, and those who team up with them get the support they need – right from the innovation stage, to product development, and all the way to game’s roll out and marketing.
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Kayal also elaborated on his philosophy of the ID3R model – a template for the gaming industry to emulate. He explained that 'I' stands for an idea, 'D' for develop and design, 'R' for release, revenue and relax. Once someone develops a new game, they do not need to worry about sales, promotion, or even how to make money for the next game, he
“Our real USP lies in the fact that we don’t just invest in promising games, our approach is human-centric. We want to partner with real talents who can prove themselves given adequate support and hand-holding,” said Kayal.
And it’s not just professional game developers who benefit, but students too. CapeTitans has partnered with Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology, and Kayal described it as their “solid knowledge foundation.” Founded in 2010, Backstage Pass is among the pioneers of gaming education in India, with a Forbes article saying it “provides international standards of gaming education for game enthusiasts of all socio-economic backgrounds.”
Tags: CapeTitans Games, Game Developer, Online Gaming, Game Publishing platform
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.
