Latest news with #AkshatRathee
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Banijay in strategic partnership with Nodwin to co-develop IPs, formats
Banijay Asia , part of Banijay Entertainment, has entered a strategic partnership with Nodwin Gaming , a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies , to expand their footprint in India's growing gaming and youth entertainment landscape. As part of the collaboration, Banijay Asia will produce Playground, Nodwin Gaming's flagship gaming reality show that blends gaming, entertainment, and influencer culture. The two companies also plan to co-develop new content formats and intellectual properties (IPs), including scripted and reality programming aimed at younger audiences. Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO – Banijay Asia & Endemol Shine India, said, 'This collaboration with Nodwin Gaming is an exciting extension of our vision to create content that resonates with evolving youth audiences. Gaming is not just a sport; it's a culture, a lifestyle, and a massive content opportunity. With Playground and our upcoming IPs, we aim to redefine engagement and storytelling in this space.' He added, 'I look forward to the creative collaboration with Akshat Rathee, and Joost Roset who we previously worked with, in bringing iconic global IPs to India. This is an invaluable opportunity to create clutter-breaking formats in the youth and gaming space.' Nodwin Gaming brings to the table a portfolio of well-known properties including BGMI Masters Series, Comic Con India, and NH7 Weekender. The company has been active in creating gaming and esports formats across multiple platforms and regions. Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder & MD, Nodwin Gaming, said, "Youth entertainment is evolving rapidly, and our partnership with Banijay Asia positions us perfectly to lead that change. With Playground, we've just begun to explore what's possible. Backed by Banijay's global expertise, we're now set to scale the IP across multiple languages and markets, with the ambition of building an international format. At the heart of our approach is our philosophy of 'timeshare of mindshare'. We're not just creating content, we're creating cultural moments. The Rusk creative team will stay actively involved as we expand the universe of Playground, aiming to grow from one show to between five and ten each year. This is just the beginning of a bold new chapter in gaming and youth content."
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Esports — VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025 Split 2 set to begin May 16
OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025 Split 2 (VCSA Split 2) is set to kick off on May 16, featuring eight teams and having a prize pool of INR 29 lakh. Six teams from VCSA Split 1 and two winners from the relegation promotion phase have made it to the second phase, which will take place over three weeks. Qualified teams: Velocity Gaming, Asterisk, Reckoning Esports, GE Academy, Revenant x Spark, XO IND, DotExe Esports, S8UL Esports Only the top three will secure a place at the LAN Finals, where they will compete not only for the championship title and prize pool but also for essential Challenger Points that play a decisive role in their qualification journey toward VCT Ascension Pacific 2025. ALSO READ: National Esports Championship to pick Indian team for WEC 2025 begins Organised by NODWIN Gaming, in collaboration with VALORANT developer Riot Games, VCSA Split 1 had garnered over 10 million views. 'The OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia is part of a growing ecosystem that's being shaped by the passion of our players, the energy of the community, and the support of our partners,' Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder & Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming, said. Prize Pool Distribution: Split 2 Winner: ₹12,15,000 Runner-up: ₹6,48,000 3rd Place: ₹4,45,500 4th Place: ₹2,43,000 5th Place: ₹1,21,500 6th Place: ₹1,21,500 7th Place: ₹81,000 8th Place: ₹81,000 Opening Matches: May 16, 2025 | 3:00 PM: Velocity Gaming vs Asterisk May 16, 2025 | 6:00 PM: Reckoning Esports vs GE Academy May 17, 2025 | 3:00 PM: Revenant x Spark vs XO IND May 17, 2025 | 6:00 PM: DotExe Esports vs S8UL Esports 'Split 1 of the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025 laid a strong foundation, elevating the competitive bar and uncovering standout talent from across the region. As we move into Split 2, we expect the intensity to rise even further,' Sukamal Pegu, Esports Lead, South Asia, Riot Games, said. Where to watch OMEN VCSA 2025? OMEN VCSA Split 2 can be watched on NODWIN Gaming's Official YouTube Channel in English. Hindi Broadcast for the same will be available on NODWIN Gaming's Official Facebook Page. Related Topics Esports / valorant
News18
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Esports Joins KIYG 2025 Line-Up With BGMI, Chess, eFootball, SF6 And More
Last Updated: Esports joins Khelo India Youth Games 2025 with BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball, boosting grassroots esports in India. Esports has been added to the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) for the first time as a demonstration event featuring BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball, a development that industry experts believe will help establish it as a mainstream sport. Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to start in 2027. Before its inclusion in KIYG 2025, hosts Bihar had organised the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and the Bihar Inter School and College Esports Championship over the past year. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also taken proactive steps to support and formalise grassroots esports programs. Esports competitions will be beld at the Patliputra Sports Complex on May 6 and 7, featuring popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball on both mobile and console. While BGMI remains the most popular esports title in India, Chess stands out as a particularly noteworthy addition to KIYG 2025. Once considered a purely traditional sport, it has increasingly found a home in the esports world, most recently as part of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, which boasts a prize pool of USD 1.5 million (Rs 12.6 crore) for the title. 'The inclusion of titles like BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball in the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 signals a big step forward for grassroots esports in India," says Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming. 'It's encouraging to see esports standing shoulder to shoulder with traditional sports, and the addition of Chess – bridging classical and digital strategy shows how in tune this initiative is with global trends. But this isn't just about tournaments. 'It's about creating real opportunities to discover talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, places that have been overlooked for too long, thus building the foundation for a future where Indian gamers don't just participate, they dominate on the world stage." First Published: May 05, 2025, 16:43 IST
News18
05-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
Esports To Be A Demonstration Sport At Khelo India Youth Games
Last Updated: Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to start in 2027. Esports has been added to the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) for the first time as a demonstration event featuring BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball, a development that industry experts believe will help establish it as a mainstream sport. Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to start in 2027. Before its inclusion in KIYG 2025, hosts Bihar had organised the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and the Bihar Inter School and College Esports Championship over the past year. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also taken proactive steps to support and formalise grassroots esports programs. Esports competitions will be beld at the Patliputra Sports Complex on May 6 and 7, featuring popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball on both mobile and console. While BGMI remains the most popular esports title in India, Chess stands out as a particularly noteworthy addition to KIYG 2025. Once considered a purely traditional sport, it has increasingly found a home in the esports world, most recently as part of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, which boasts a prize pool of USD 1.5 million (Rs 12.6 crore) for the title. 'The inclusion of titles like BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball in the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 signals a big step forward for grassroots esports in India," says Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming. 'It's encouraging to see esports standing shoulder to shoulder with traditional sports, and the addition of Chess – bridging classical and digital strategy shows how in tune this initiative is with global trends. But this isn't just about tournaments. 'It's about creating real opportunities to discover talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, places that have been overlooked for too long, thus building the foundation for a future where Indian gamers don't just participate, they dominate on the world stage." First Published:
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Esports at Khelo India Youth Games: BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball at Patliputra event
Titles like BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball will debut at the ESports event of Khelo India on May 6-7 in the Patliputra Sports Complex. The demo event will feature titles that span mobile, console, and strategy-based formats like chess. BGMI has the highest participation nationwide, and will remain a popular hook. But the notable addition is of chess which most recently became part of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025, which boasted a prize pool of $1.5 million (INR 12.6 crore) for the title. In India, majors NODWIN Gaming have on boarded e-chess and organised the Chess Super League, featuring national and international stars and also hosted Chess tournaments at DreamHack India 2024 across rapid and blitz formats. 'The inclusion of titles like BGMI, Street Fighter 6, Chess, and eFootball in the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 signals a big step forward for grassroots esports in India,' Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director of NODWIN Gaming, said in a press release. Rathee said Khelo India could be a great avenue to locate stars from Tier 1 & 2 cities. 'It's encouraging to see esports standing shoulder to shoulder with traditional sports, and the addition of Chess – bridging classical and digital strategy shows how in tune this initiative is with global trends. But this isn't just about tournaments. It's about creating real opportunities to discover talent from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, places that have been overlooked for too long, thus building the foundation for a future where Indian gamers don't just participate, they dominate on the world stage,' he added. S8UL, the global force in esports and gaming content, has signed Grandmasters Aravindh Chithambaram and Nihal Sarin to compete at the EWC 2025, but they will also field players across Street Fighter 6, as well as EAFC25, Call of Duty Warzone, Tekken 8, and Apex Legends at the prestigious tournament. Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of S8UL stated that Street Fighter 6 and chess would especially benefit. 'It is especially encouraging to see Street Fighter 6 and Chess recognised through a government-led initiative, at a time when S8UL will be representing India in these very titles at the upcoming Esports World Cup. This development is crucial for identifying and nurturing talent across a range of platforms and genres from the grassroots level. Such proactive support from the authorities is a strong indicator of the growing legitimacy of esports in India and a positive sign for the industry's future,' he adds. Bihar recently embraced the esports movement by organising the Bihar State Esports Open Championship and the Bihar Inter School and College Esports Championship over the past year. States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Nagaland have also taken proactive steps to support and formalise grassroots esports programs, as per the release. Mikhail Bhuta, Co-Founder & Tech Lead, Dirtcube Interactive LLP was hopeful that Made-in-India esports-based games could be part of KIYG's future seasons. Pavan Kampelli won the bronze medal at the 2024 Asian Esports Games in Bangkok, while Esports will be an official medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games, and the first-ever Olympic Esports Games is scheduled to debut in 2027.
