Gaming
Lenovo sets up camp to call out campers in clever gaming crackdown
MUMBAI: Gamers hiding in corners just got cornered by a laptop upgrade. In a cheeky ambush inside one of India’s most popular shooter games, Lenovo India, with Intel and Leo Burnett, has launched Gamers on Duty, a guerrilla-style campaign that calls out “campers” mid-battle and offers them a shot at redemption: a discount on Lenovo Legion laptops.
For the uninitiated, “camping” in gaming lingo is the much-despised strategy of hiding in one spot and picking off opponents from cover, much to the annoyance of serious players. But Gamers on Duty flips the script recognising that many Indian gamers aren’t camping by choice, but by compulsion. Outdated hand-me-down laptops, dad’s office machine, or just old tech struggling to keep up with today’s graphic-heavy games are pushing players into passive play.
So Lenovo and Intel assembled a squad of undercover operatives 12 of India’s top gaming influencers, wielding a cumulative reach of 20 million. These “agents” infiltrated live games, hunted down campers using an in-game feature that allows a brief 15-second chat when a player is caught and used that vulnerable moment to serve up an unexpected offer: ditch the lag, grab a Lenovo Legion.
By turning a niche in-game mechanic into a pop-up sales pitch, the campaign reached players right when their frustration peaked slow machines, melting keyboards, and sluggish gameplay. The result? A deluge of hilarious, shareable content and a savvy new way to turn gameplay into advertising without feeling like advertising.
“At Lenovo, we believe gamers deserve to experience every moment of their gameplay at its absolute best. With this campaign, we wanted to connect with them not just through screens, but in the heat of action at the very moment when outdated devices hold them back. Lenovo Legion is engineered to deliver uncompromised performance, so gamers can play fearlessly and experience their full potential. By meeting players exactly where they feel the need for better performance, we’re not just showcasing our technology – we’re empowering them to level up, quite literally.” said Lenovo India CMO, Chandrika Jain.
Publicis Groupe CCO for South Asia and Leo chairman for South Asia Rajdeepak Das added “This is a great example of how data and tech come together to create a hyper-personalized campaign targeting campers who have been at the receiving end of hate from the entire gaming community. Our idea was to reach out to gamers while they were hiding because of slow laptops and put the brand’s message and offers in the right place, at the right time, and to the right audience.”
In short, Gamers on Duty proves that when it comes to clever marketing, it pays to play dirty, especially if you’re cleaning up the camping mess along the way.
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.
