Gaming
NODWIN Gaming partners with the Global Esports Federation
Mumbai: NODWIN Gaming, the South Asian gaming and esports company, announced the agreement with the Global Esports Federation (GEF) to become the Portfolio Management Company (PMC) for key global emerging markets across South and Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Southeast Asia. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in NODWIN Gaming’s ambition in driving the growth of gaming and esports globally, by leveraging its expertise and leadership position in emerging markets worldwide.
The GEF convenes the dynamic, ever-evolving esports ecosystem including the adjacent industries and diverse network of global impact partners. Established in 2019, GEF has flourished to over 155 member federations engaging billions of #worldconnected athletes, players, and fans.
Firmly dedicated to its mission and universal values, the GEF has evolved to become an authentic voice of the esports community, elevating the industry’s legitimacy and credibility at a global scale. Furthermore, the GEF plays a pivotal role in cultivating emerging technological development, and user, fan, and brand experiences that enable innovation in gaming while ensuring sustainable growth for esports and limitless opportunities that inspire the world’s hyper-connected youth.
With strategic partnerships with industry giants and a proven track record of organizing gaming events and lifestyle festivals, NODWIN Gaming has now acquired exclusive rights to create and market GEF-licensed esports events in more than 20 countries such as India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Dubai, Bahrain, Jordan, Thailand, Vietnam, in addition to the entire continent of Africa.
As a PMC, NODWIN Gaming also secures non-exclusive rights to host GEF-licensed events globally, which paves the way for synergistic collaborations amongst the company’s subsidiaries and strategic partners worldwide. NODWIN Gaming’s recent acquisition of the Turkey-based Ninja Gaming readies the company for endeavours in Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa, while its Singapore-based experiential marketing powerhouse Branded focuses on the Asia Pacific region. With its equity investment earlier this year into Freaks 4U Gaming, a leading full-service gaming and esports agency in Germany, NODWIN Gaming will tap into potential opportunities in developing GEF-licensed events in non-exclusive regions through the agency’s European as well as endemic and non-endemic network.
NODWIN Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee shared his insight on the partnership with GEF: “The world of esports is evolving towards a true global celebration of esports titles across the world. GEF truly epitomizes the hopes and aspirations of all the developing world markets that NODWIN seeks to develop. We believe our partnership with GEF will bring the best of esports opportunities to the youth of the emerging world.”
GEF chief operating officer Mario Cilenti commented on the partnership: “We are thrilled to have NODWIN Gaming on board as our Portfolio Management Company for the South Asia, Central Asia, and Africa markets. Their capabilities and extensive experience make them ideal partners to advance the Global Esports Federation’s mission and further engage with esports communities across key growth regions.”
Gaming
IICT signs three MoUs to boost AVGC-XR and esports
Partnerships with Zenfluencers, Yologram and Eruditio at Chennai Gaming Show 2026 strengthen education, XR innovation and nationwide talent outreach.
MUMBAI: IICT has just levelled up the game in a big way. The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies signed three strategic Memorandums of Understanding on 17 April 2026 at the CII Summit FX – India Gaming Show in Chennai, forging alliances with The Zenfluencers, Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. and Eruditio Consultants to accelerate India’s AVGC-XR ecosystem.
The tie-ups combine IICT’s strengths in education, skilling and research with specialist expertise across esports, immersive technologies and large-scale outreach.
- With The Zenfluencers, IICT will roll out globally benchmarked esports programmes, including joint certification courses, industry workshops, tournaments and masterclasses, creating clear career pathways across the full esports value chain.
- The partnership with Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. focuses on gaming, immersive storytelling and extended reality (XR), delivering industry-aligned curriculum, faculty mentorship, student showcases and collaborative research in immersive AI and virtual production.
- Collaboration with Eruditio Consultants targets awareness, accessibility and career alignment, with nationwide counsellor training, institutional engagement and structured guidance frameworks to reach students beyond Tier-1 cities.
IICT CEO Vishwas Deoskar said, “As the AVGC-XR sector evolves at a rapid pace, strong collaborations between industry and academia are essential. These partnerships will create meaningful impact across education, innovation and outreach.”
Yologram Style Pvt. Ltd. founder Aditya Mani added, “AI-driven creator worlds are transforming games into engines of culture, commerce and careers. Together we aim to empower a generation to build immersive futures.”
Eruditio Consultants founder Indrajit Ghosh noted, “This is not just about awareness, it is about building a structured ecosystem that connects aspiration with opportunity.”
The Zenfluencers CEO Atharva Gupta said, “This MoU is a big unlock moment for the esports ecosystem in India. We’re building a structured pipeline for talent across the full stack.”
By bringing together academia, industry leaders and ecosystem players, IICT is creating scalable models that blend cutting-edge skills with real-world relevance. In a sector racing toward the future, these three partnerships ensure India’s next generation of creative technologists won’t just keep up, they’ll set the pace.
