Gaming
Enigma Gaming unveils as a franchise in India
Mumbai: Mumbai-based Enigma Gaming, home to India’s most talented esports athletes, has been unveiled as the seventh franchise in India’s biggest gaming tournament, the Skyesports Masters. The organisation will be unveiling its star-studded roster soon which will also feature international imports.
The Skyesports Masters is set to kick off on 8 July with the League Stage happening until Aug. 17. Eight franchised teams will lock horns for a share of the Rs 2,00,00,000 prize pool and the bragging rights. The top four teams of the League Stage will make it to the Playoffs, which are set to be a spectacular on-ground event in front of a live audience.
Commenting on entering the tournament, Enigma Gaming’s founder and CEO, Aryaman Wasan, said, “Counter-Strike has been a pioneer for the global esports industry. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to grow in India in the same manner because of the lack of development of esports in the country over the past two decades. Now, with the rapid emergence of esports in India over the past three years, we feel it’s the right time to invest in the game. With a new version coming up and the long-term vision of the Skyesports Masters, we are here to support Counter-Strike for the years to come”.
Enigma Gaming is set to unveil its roster soon. The organisation has its sights set on conquering the Skyesports Masters from the first year itself with a team consisting of national players as well as international imports. Two of the players will be from the Skyesports Masters cafe qualifiers, an open-for-all grassroots-level initiative which happened across 20 Indian cities. The mixed roster will not only increase the competitiveness of the Skyesports Masters but also give a chance for new players to shine.
Commenting on the inclusion of Enigma Gaming into the Skyesports Masters, Skyesports Founder and CEO Shiva Nandy said, “The inclusion of Enigma Gaming, alongside renowned franchises, further solidifies Skyesports Masters’ position as India’s biggest gaming tournament. Enigma’s new roster, consisting of international imports as well, is a testament to their long-term commitment towards the vision of India’s first franchised esports tournament and Counter-Strike”.
Enigma Gaming joins the likes of Gods Reign, Revenant Esports, Marcos Gaming, Reckoning Esports, Medal Esports, and 7Sea Esports as franchises in the Skyesports Masters. Stay tuned for the final team announcement.
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.
