Gaming
Poker for People: Moneycontrol introduces first online, offline tournament
MUMBAI: Moneycontrol, a business and financial online platform of Network18, has joined hands with The Spartan Poker, an online gaming platform to announce ‘Poker for People’.
A one-of-a-kind competition, Moneycontrol introduced an online and offline poker championship to its users for the very first time. The tournament, with a prize of Rs 25 lakh will offer the poker enthusiast a chance to try their luck at the table and take home a cash prize.
With the game of poker being highly skill-based that requires utmost foresight, planning and the ability to take calculative risks, Moneycontrol draws a parallel between the card game and the stock market for their audience.
To participate, one can register themselves on a page created on the Moneycontrol website. This will avail them a ticket to the live game to be held in Mumbai on 29 March 2020. The top 20 players from each qualifier will get guaranteed seats at the main event.
Each of these 16 qualifiers will be a freezeout tournament, indicating a win-or-bust format, which won’t allow a contestant the option for a re-buy should they lose. These 16 rounds will see a total of 320 players qualify for Main Event.
Moneycontrol’s business head Gautam Shelar, said, “Moneycontrol, as a brand, believes in empowering its audiences with the latest financial know-how and equip them with information and advice that will help them make smarter and better investment decisions.”
He added, “Poker is purely a skill-based mind game where the outcomes are decided by the aptitude and analytical capability of the player, which is extremely similar to the stock market. In addition to their stellar poker skills, we are confident that with the lessons learned through their stock market dealings and investments, participants shall use these experiences as well as they look to take home the grand prize.”
Gaming
Nodwin Gaming partners with Runestone for esports data and integrity solutions
South Asian esports leader joins forces with Czech tech firm to enhance tournament operations.
MUMBAI: Nodwin Gaming has just levelled up its game by bringing in a specialist to keep the scoreboard honest and the fans fully engaged. The leading South Asian esports and gaming company has announced a strategic partnership with Runestone, a Prague-headquartered esports technology firm specialising in real-time data and engagement solutions for tournament organisers and publishers.
The collaboration aims to strengthen competitive integrity, improve operational oversight, and deliver more interactive viewing experiences across Nodwin’s properties. It will initially focus on the Nodwin Clutch Series for Counter-Strike 2, a Tier 2 tournament that provides emerging teams with consistent competitive opportunities and helps build the talent pipeline.
The latest edition of the series recently concluded with Big defeating ECSTATIC 2–1 in the grand final of the $50,000 online event.
Nodwin Gaming chief business officer at MENA and global head of data monetization Teemu Koski said, “Integrity and transparency are fundamental to sustainable esports ecosystems, especially in Tier 2 competition where the next generation of talent emerges. Runestone’s expertise complements our experience in building scalable esports IPs.”
Runestone head of partnerships Michael Schwartz added, “Nodwin Gaming has built one of the most dynamic esports ecosystems across emerging markets. We’re thrilled to collaborate on supporting tournaments with greater transparency, deeper fan interaction, and scalable tools.”
Both companies are exploring opportunities to extend the partnership across additional titles, including mobile-first competitive ecosystems, and to develop new products for publishers, tournament operators, and event promoters.
In the rapidly growing world of esports, where fair play and fan excitement are equally crucial, Nodwin Gaming and Runestone are teaming up to ensure every match is not only competitive but also transparent and engaging. This alliance could well become a game-changer for Tier 2 tournaments across South Asia and beyond.
