NODWIN Gaming raises ₹164-crore equity investment from South Korean company KRAFTON

NODWIN Gaming , a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies, has raised ₹164 crore of equity investment from South Korean gaming firm KRAFTON.

NODWIN Gaming plans to channelise the funds to accelerate the development of e-sports in South Asia, West Asia and Africa, support talent, provide better gaming infrastructure and technology, and conceptualise, organise and execute a multitude of tournament IPs at the national and international levels.

This round of funding follows previous investments from Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Technologies and from JetSynthesys backed by Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan.

“E-sports will be a key pillar to the growth of sports entertainment in the future. It sits at a wonderful intersection of sports, entertainment and technology where nations such as India can pave the path. With KRAFTON coming on board, we have an endorsement from the mecca of gaming and e-sports — South Korea — on what we are building from India for the world based on our competence in mobile-first markets” said Akshat Rathee, co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming.

One of the top gaming companies in South Korea, KRAFTON is the creator of intellectual properties and games such as PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG), TERA, Golf King and Castle Burn.

“KRAFTON is excited to partner with NODWIN Gaming to help foster the promising e-sports ecosystem and engage with our fans and players in India. Taking the momentum from this partnership, we will explore additional investment opportunities in the region to uphold our commitment and dedication in cultivating the local video game, e-sports, entertainment, and tech industries” said Changhan Kim, CEO of KRAFTON.

After the transaction, Nazara will continue to own a stake in excess of 50 per cent in NODWIN Gaming. Nazara invested in NODWIN Gaming in 2018 and this investment has created a value in excess of 6.44 X in three years. With this latest round, NODWIN has raised a total of ₹200 crore since inception in 2014.

Through its partnerships with global publishers and partners including ESL, Valve, KRAFTON, Tencent, Riot and Blizzard, NODWIN Gaming has introduced Indians to e-sports experiences such as the oldest e-sports IP in the country — the India Premiership — along with other IPs such as the gaming festival Dreamhack, global championship ESL One, PUBG Mobile esports (PMCO/PMPL/PMWL). NODWIN Gaming has content partnerships with broadcasters such as MTV on linear TV, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube and Airtel.