Gaming
Game on as Parliament clears Bill giving esports its sporting stripes
MUMBAI: India just hit “start” on a new sporting era. On 21 August, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, a landmark move that bans all online money games but officially elevates esports to the league of legitimate competitive sport. For the first time, esports has been uncoupled from gambling, betting, and fantasy money play, and placed firmly under the ministry of youth affairs and sports, which will set tournament standards, support academies, and weave esports into India’s sporting fabric.
The timing was pixel-perfect. Days earlier, 19-year-old Ved Bamb, better known by his gamer tag Beelzeboy, became India’s first esports World Champion by defeating Spain’s Leo Marin at the Pokémon Go Worlds. Esports has been steadily climbing the podium: officially recognised by India in 2022, it debuted as a medal sport at the Asian Games in Hangzhou and snagged a historic bronze in DOTA 2 at the 2022 Commonwealth Esports Championships. Next year, it returns to the Asian Games medal tally and will also feature at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in October.
Back home, esports is levelling up from grassroots to glory. This year’s Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar featured esports as a demo sport, with states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, and Bihar championing tournaments. Nationally, the Waves Esports Championships, backed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, signalled that esports is no longer niche, but mainstream. Nodwin Gaming’s flagship Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series (BGMS), with a Rs 1.5 crore prize pool in its fourth season and female athletes competing for the first time, shows the professional rigour that mirrors cricket or football.
“The Bill unlocks a zero-to-hero pipeline from state-level championships to global majors,” said Nodwin Gaming cxo-founder & MD Akshat Rathee which is grooming players for EVO, Esports Nations Cup, and even Counter-Strike Majors. S8ul, India’s most celebrated esports org, has its athletes training in Navi Mumbai bootcamps and recently competed at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, where the prize pool crossed Rs 600 crore. Nodwin Gaming co-founder Animesh Agarwal called the government’s clarity a “game-changer” that will win parents’ trust and bring more young talent into the fold.
The ecosystem’s growth isn’t just about skill but also kit. With PC and console titles set to feature in the 2026 Asian Games and possibly the Olympic Esports Games in 2027, high-performance gear is becoming non-negotiable. Cyberpowerpc India COO Vishal Parekh noted: “If cricket needs pitches, esports needs world-class rigs.” His company has donated PCs worth lakhs to bridge the infrastructure gap and prepare India’s next champions.
As India marks National Sports Day, esports now stands shoulder to shoulder with traditional sports. With structured training, global tournaments, and government backing, the nation’s gamers are no longer just chasing high scores, they’re chasing history.
Gaming
Nodwin Gaming partners with Runestone for esports data and integrity solutions
South Asian esports leader joins forces with Czech tech firm to enhance tournament operations.
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming has just levelled up its game by bringing in a specialist to keep the scoreboard honest and the fans fully engaged. The leading South Asian esports and gaming company has announced a strategic partnership with Runestone, a Prague-headquartered esports technology firm specialising in real-time data and engagement solutions for tournament organisers and publishers.
The collaboration aims to strengthen competitive integrity, improve operational oversight, and deliver more interactive viewing experiences across Nodwin’s properties. It will initially focus on the Nodwin Clutch Series for Counter-Strike 2, a Tier 2 tournament that provides emerging teams with consistent competitive opportunities and helps build the talent pipeline.
The latest edition of the series recently concluded with Big defeating ECSTATIC 2–1 in the grand final of the $50,000 online event.
Nodwin Gaming chief business officer at MENA and global head of data monetization Teemu Koski said, “Integrity and transparency are fundamental to sustainable esports ecosystems, especially in Tier 2 competition where the next generation of talent emerges. Runestone’s expertise complements our experience in building scalable esports IPs.”
Runestone head of partnerships Michael Schwartz added, “Nodwin Gaming has built one of the most dynamic esports ecosystems across emerging markets. We’re thrilled to collaborate on supporting tournaments with greater transparency, deeper fan interaction, and scalable tools.”
Both companies are exploring opportunities to extend the partnership across additional titles, including mobile-first competitive ecosystems, and to develop new products for publishers, tournament operators, and event promoters.
In the rapidly growing world of esports, where fair play and fan excitement are equally crucial, Nodwin Gaming and Runestone are teaming up to ensure every match is not only competitive but also transparent and engaging. This alliance could well become a game-changer for Tier 2 tournaments across South Asia and beyond.
