Gaming
MPL bans over a million accounts in 2022 to reinforce transparency and fairplay on the platform
MUMBAI: Mobile and skill gaming platform MPL has banned over a million user accounts to continue to provide a secure and fair gaming experience to the users. The step has been taken by the company to remove players who did not comply with the rules and resorted to unfair means to manipulate gameplay results in their favour.
Some of the key reasons that led to the user accounts getting blocked include using multiple accounts by the same user to access the platform, uploading fake or doctored KYC documents, using unauthorized payment means like stolen cards and cheating during the gameplay by using any hacks or collusion techniques. It is important to note that these are not temporary suspensions and MPL has permanently banned these users from the system.
MPL added that it has robust security measures in place that enables them to effectively identify and ban the fake accounts within a short span of them being created. The company also uses best in class technology practices that enables detection of fraud accounts at a granular level which includes identification of the devices used to create the accounts. Once a user is blocked, typically they tend to create a new account using different email ids. However, with the help of advanced technology, MPL identifies these unauthorised login attempts made using the same device and permanently revokes their access. This ensures fraudulent gamers to be suspended and removed from the platform, allowing genuine players to join tournaments with confidence.
MPL said that its security initiatives have recently been recognised by the Shield Trust Certification, which attests that the platform has more than 96.57 per cent genuine users and a user to device ratio of 1 : 0.9568 which is an exceptional trust standard in the industry. Shield is a global risk intelligence company and the certificate considers a company’s trust profile and assesses key risk metrics such as the number of genuine users, user-to-device ratio, and the prevalence of malicious tools used on a given platform. With a trust score of 95.95 per cent, MPL has become the world’s first multi-gaming company to acquire this certification after fulfilling the vital requirements of Shield’s Trust Check, which renders it the most credible and a safe platform for gaming enthusiasts.
MPL vice president of security and compliance Ruchir Patwa said, “At MPL, providing the highest degree of protection against fraud is our topmost priority and we are committed to offer the users a secure and unhindered gaming experience. This move is aligned to our player-first approach and also highlights MPL’s zero tolerance towards users who resort to illegal practices in order to alter gameplay results and gain an unfair advantage. With initiatives like this, MPL is poised to continue being a safe and user-friendly platform that is trusted by the users.”
MPL has also announced multiple initiatives to further the player-first approach and foster a safe and risk free gameplay experience for the users. As a part of this, the company launched a bug bounty program that has been designed to reward security researchers up to Rs 10 lakhs for successfully identifying a valid vulnerability on the platform. The bug bounty program also allows researchers to report any possibility that can give a player an unfair advantage.
To provide a risk free gaming experience, MPL had recently launched India’s first ever multi-game Loss Protection policy through which gamers can claim a refund of up to 100 per cent of the net loss that they may have incurred after playing 10 gameplay sessions with specified thresholds. Available on some of the top titles, this initiative empowered users to enjoy their favorite games without worrying about losing money.
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.
