Nazara Technologies Ltd. which announced its foray into esports last year, has acquired a majority stake of 55% in NODWIN Gaming, the pioneer of esports in India. NODWIN will become an independent subsidiary of Nazara.
EY acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the transaction.
NODWIN, a 50:50 venture between Akshat Rathee, Gautam Virk and Jetsynthesys Pvt. Ltd., has pioneered esports in India with established relationships with global gaming publishers and platforms including market leaders such as ESL (Turtle Entertainment,GMBH) and Valve Corporation.
Nazara, with its majority investment in NODWIN, is furthering its commitment of developing the esports ecosystem to enable competitive online & offline gaming, create localized leagues and cups and boost esports as spectator sports in India. The approach includes localized content creation around global events (ESL One, ESL Pro League, Intel Extreme Masters, The International by Valve, etc) and creating local events by bringing in sponsors. This will give a massive boost to the creation of world class esports athletes and players emerging from the indian ecosystem.
Sandeep Singhal, MD, Westbridge Capital quoted “Nazara and Nodwin coming together is a great win-win for the shareholders of both the companies. We are delighted at the possibility of this alliance.”
According to Manish Agarwal, CEO, Nazara Technologies, “Through this acquisition we aim to provide Indian esports enthusiasts a robust player and community orientated esports ecosystem, in which players can thrive, improve their skills and become top competitors at an international level.”
According to, NODWIN Gaming, CEO and Managing Director, Akshat Rathee, “esports is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide. This acquisition by Nazara Games adds to the credibility of NODWIN and opens up a wide vista of opportunities for Indian esports players to build careers domestically and Internationally. It strengthens our ability to provide our key stakeholders better experiences and bigger opportunities to engage with our community.”
Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Jetsynthesys Pvt Ltd., added “Having worked closely with Akshat Rathee and Gautam Virk to build Nodwin Gaming to this level, we are pleased and excited about the future opportunity for all of us, that opens up with Nazara’s participation to help establish Nodwin as the clear leader in e-sports over the longer term”.
