Gaming
Playground S4 on Amazon MX Player elevates reality gaming
Mumbai: Amazon MX Player, Amazon’s free video streaming service, has continued to deliver the highest quality gaming entertainment in India with the reality show Playground, currently streaming its fourth season. The show aims to unite contestants from diverse regions and backgrounds. It drew over 14 million viewers across India in the first three weeks of its launch, a 50 per cent increase over season three.
As India’s first ever reality gaming show, Playground S4 continues its search for the next ‘New Age Star’, with a more dynamic and enhanced experience. Featuring top-notch gaming content, tougher challenges, and an innovative format, Season 4 has surpassed expectations, capturing the attention of major brands in the country. The show’s blend of gaming, drama, and entertainment has brought in major sponsors like Hero MotoCorp and Tecno mobile for the second time and MAAC for the fourth consecutive year. In a further big win, Zupee, one of India’s leading skill-based gaming apps, has come on board as the ‘co-powered’ sponsor, cementing the show’s reputation and success.
Amazon MX Player director & head Karan Bedi, shared his excitement about the show’s success, “Playground S4 has set new benchmarks in the gaming entertainment space. The positive response from viewers and advertisers is a testament to our vision of providing premium, free entertainment to our audiences across India. The show’s high engagement comes from its mix of unique gaming challenges and reality television drama, making it a top choice for young adult viewers. We have even more exciting challenges and mentors lined up as we progress towards the finale!”
Zupee COO Akanksha Dhamija says, “We’re excited to partner with Playground S4, as it perfectly aligns with our commitment to innovative, skill-based gaming. At Zupee, our focus is on creating meaningful engagement and delivering joyful experiences through games that are relevant to all gamers, which makes this collaboration an ideal fit.”
Presented by Hero MotoCorp and co-powered by Tecno mobile and Zupee, Official Gaming Partner, Playground S4 streams exclusively on Amazon MX Player, with episodes airing daily at 12 pm, available through its apps on mobile, Amazon shopping app, Prime Video, Fire TV and Connected TVs.
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.
