Gaming
NODWIN Gaming announces BGMS Season 3
Mumbai: NODWIN Gaming, South Asia’s gaming and esports company has announced the highly anticipated third edition of India’s premier esports event – BGMI Masters Series (BGMS). The tournament will be televised live on India’s leading sports broadcaster Star Sports for the third consecutive year.
BGMS Season 3 will witness India’s top 24 teams competing in one of the nation’s biggest Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) tournaments scheduled from July 19 to August 11.
Sharing his enthusiasm, NODWIN Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee expressed, “Being the biggest esports IP in India, BGMS has been a cornerstone of esports action in the country since its inception two years ago. This edition marks a significant milestone for us as BGMS returns to a major sports TV network like Star Sports, for the third time, offering unparalleled visibility to esports talent & associated brands on mainstream television. Our team has always strived to deliver top-tier esports experiences and will leave no stone unturned in leveraging our years of expertise in the production and broadcast space to bring the best of the best esports action on television once again. Together, with the incredible team at Star Sports, we are committed to cementing esports’ status as a mainstream sport amongst the masses, and eagerly anticipate an exciting season ahead.”
The tournament has continued its association with TVS Raider, the sporty commuter motorcycle from TVS Motor Company as the Official Mobility Partner, and Philips OneBlade, the male grooming product of Philips India as the competition’s Official Styling Partner.
“We are thrilled to announce the third season in partnership with a plethora of remarkable brands, who share our collective vision to nurture esports talent across the country. The involvement and support of leading brands highlights the growing youth base of this new-age sport, and how BGMS is positioned to reach out and capture the largest market share of this growing audience.” he further added.
The previous season of BGMS garnered a remarkable viewership on the Star Sports Network, underscoring its growing popularity and appeal amongst audiences throughout the nation. As the tournament returns for a third consecutive year on Star Sports, it reaffirms its position as a linchpin of India’s esports calendar.
“Star Sports has always been committed to bringing the best of sports entertainment to its viewers. The rapid rise of esports in the country has made it an exciting addition to our portfolio, tapping into a wide demographic of tech-savvy younger generations. Having accumulated monumental viewership for the past two seasons, BGMS has not only helped us showcase the best of esports action but also to bridge the gap between traditional sports and esports in India. With the invaluable support of NODWIN Gaming, we look forward to another high-octane season this year, offering unparalleled BGMI action to our viewers,” said Star Sports Network head of marketing Vikram Passi.
NODWIN Gaming, alongside each of the partner brands, will play a pivotal role in making BGMS Season 3, a premium esports experience for fans across the nation, setting new benchmarks in Indian esports.
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.
