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Zapak.com, Sony Ericsson and Xbox360 join hands to celebrate ‘World Gaming Day’
MUMBAI : The fast expanding gaming industry is luring many in these tough times of economic downturn. When every other industry is seeing a slowdown, cost-cutting and retrenchment, the gaming “behemoths”– Sony Ericsson, Zapak.com and Microsoft Xbox 360 have joined hands. The trio has announced ‘World Gaming Day’ the youth connect initiative to celebrate the spirit of gaming which will be celebrated on 12 February 2009 across the globe. This proposal from India would be jointly promoted across mediums by Zapak.com, Sony Ericsson and Xbox 360 and is intended to be an annual feature. World Gaming Day is expected to pull at least 10 million gamers from across the world to be part of the celebrations with prizes worth over Rs 30 million at stake. The India celebrations are scheduled to take place in Mumbai and winners get a chance to play against the best in Bollywood. The gaming industry worldwide is estimated to touch $46.5 billion by 2010 (as per PwC Media Outlook ‘07-11). The gaming industry in India is poised to touch $200 million by 2011 (according to Nasscom). With international markets increasingly catering to requirements of the global gaming industry, India’s contribution to the industry and its development is undoubtedly zooming up – both at the global and domestic level. Sony Ericsson, the title sponsor of the initiative also launched – Sony Ericsson F305 with motion gaming technology. The phone can follow actions to imitate bowling or casting a fishing line. Sony Ericsson F305, claims the company, is its attempt to provide consumers superior gaming experience on mobile phones. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications India GM Sudhin Mathur said “We are happy to have joined hands with Zapak.com for this initiative of ‘World Gaming Day’. Gaming is no more restricted to PC’s and consoles. People want to play games all the time. We at Sony Ericsson are focusing on gaming as an important aspect of mobiles with unique motion sensor technology which allows users to play games with out touching the keypad. Sony Ericsson has recently launched Sony Ericsson F305 – a dedicated gaming phone. The launch of this motion gaming phone also takes mobile gaming to the next step. We hope to get maximum participation for the celebration of World Gaming Day.” Zapak Digital Entertainment Ltd COO Rohit Sharma added, “At Zapak our aim has always been to reach out to each and every individual in the country and provide them with the best possible gaming experience. In a short span of two years, over six million registered users are gaming on Zapak.com which proves to show gaming is the next big option in entertainment and it is here to stay! In the coming years gaming will touch new heights and will be the biggest entertainment option worldwide. It was about time someone stood up and gave it its due recognition and we are proud to have initiated the same with ‘World Gaming Day’.” “I am happy that Sony Ericsson and Xbox 360 have joined hands with us to promote this novel initiative. Together with World Gaming Day we will look at leveraging Gaming as the hippest new entertainment option amongst the existing and potential gamers worldwide. We are expecting participation from at least 10 million Indians to get gaming during the celebration period,” he further added. “Gaming is the buzzword in today’s entertainment scene and Xbox 360’s association with the first ever world gaming day in India is bound to take the gaming excitement to a new high. We are committed to the Indian gaming market and will continue to provide the Indian gamer with the latest and the best in gaming, as is our promise globally,” noted Microsoft Corp (India) regional director – entertainment & devices division Jaspreet Bindra.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
