Gaming
NODWIN, Exceed join forces for NH7 revival
NEW DELHI: Talk about turning up the volume. NH7 Weekender, India’s happiest music festival, has found a fresh rhythm as Nodwin Gaming announced a strategic partnership with Exceed Entertainment to supercharge its sponsorship and brand ecosystem.
Set to return with its signature mix of music, culture and youthful energy, the long-running multi genre festival is preparing for another blockbuster edition. For over 15 years, NH7 Weekender has been a cultural touchstone, shaping music discovery and youthful expression for audiences across the country.
Nodwin Gaming, which acquired NH7 Weekender and other intellectual properties from OML Entertainment in 2021, continues to lead programming, production, creative vision and the festival’s long-term growth. The new partnership assigns Exceed Entertainment a focused mandate, driving sponsorship monetisation, brand alliances and commercial expansion.
The collaboration blends Nodwin’s stronghold in large scale live IPs such as Comic Con India and DreamHack with Exceed’s deep network in celebrity management, influencer ecosystems and experiential brand partnerships. The result is a model designed to elevate sponsor-led activations, curated talent engagements and new revenue blueprints that fuse music, gaming and pop culture.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee said, NH7 Weekender’s spirit has always been rooted in culture, community and the joy of being together. He added that Exceed’s expertise will help unlock fresh brand collaborations while Nodwin continues shaping the festival experience fans hold dear.
Exceed Entertainment founder Afsar Zaidi said, the company aims to set the pace rather than follow trends. He described the partnership as an opportunity to reimagine monetisation for one of India’s most iconic live IPs, promising innovative brand integrations and new commercial pathways.
With both partners aligned on creativity, youth culture and brand-centric design, NH7 Weekender looks set to deliver an even more immersive edition, keeping its cultural legacy intact while expanding its commercial horizon.
Gaming
Nodwin Gaming sells EVO stake to RTS
Fighting game tourney eyes global push, Nodwin partners on emerging markets amid 58 per cent revenue surge to Rs 530.3 crore.
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming just pulled off the ultimate combo breaker ditching its full stake in EVO, the fighting game world’s undisputed champ, to long-time ally RTS. Announced on 20 February 2026, the move frees up firepower for EVO’s global scaling dreams, with hefty investments on the horizon. Nodwin isn’t vanishing though; it’ll stick around as a key partner, flexing its regional muscle, ops know-how, and community ties to grow the tourney in emerging markets like the Global South.
EVO, a two-decade FGC (Fighting Game Community) cornerstone, started as a grassroots huddle and morphed into esports royalty drawing players, publishers, and superfans worldwide. RTS steps up to steward this next-level expansion, honouring the community vibe while plotting world domination.
For Nodwin, it’s a savvy portfolio shuffle: honing in on high-growth zones, local IPs, and ecosystem builds. The timing’s spot-on, they flipped EBITDA positive in Q3 2025, boasting 58 per cent year-on-year revenue growth to Rs 530.3 crore (USD 58.5 million) over the first nine months of FY26.
Nodwin Gaming co-founder and managing director, Akshat Rathe, framed it neatly, “EVO represents the passion, resilience, and spirit of the fighting game community… For Nodwin, this is a strategic step that sharpens our focus on markets where gaming is witnessing extraordinary momentum.”
More details on EVO’s emerging-market playbook with Nodwin drop soon. In esports terms, it’s like trading a legendary skin for upgrades smart meta shift that keeps everyone in the arena swinging.
