NODWIN Gaming expands into mainstream sports with new division

NODWIN Gaming is expanding beyond esports into mainstream sports with the launch of NODWIN Sports, a new division focused on building sporting properties, mass-participation events and commercial opportunities across India and the wider Global South.

NODWIN Sports will focus on creating and scaling new-age sports and active-fitness competitions, developing mass-participation lifestyle properties, and working with sports federations, governing bodies, rights holders and brands.

The division will operate across four areas: new-age sports and mass-participation intellectual properties; sports advisory and governing-body engagement; strategic partnerships and commercial alliances; and white-label execution and operations.


The company has appointed sports marketing executive Gurbaksh Singh Virdi as vice president of NODWIN Sports to lead the new business.

Virdi brings experience across athlete management, sports IP creation, commercial partnerships and multi-sport operations. During his stint at Red Bull, he pioneered Red Bull Campus Cricket and worked with athletes and sporting properties across disciplines.

At U Sports, he led operations for U Mumba in the Pro Kabaddi League and established the U Dream Football programme with Tata Trusts in Germany, in partnership with Bundesliga clubs including Borussia Dortmund and TSG Hoffenheim.

He subsequently worked with Puma and Cornerstone, where he led team-sports and athlete-IP initiatives, including running initiatives around Virat Kohli’s One8 brand. He also established Cornerstone’s esports division.

Most recently, as sports marketing lead at Adidas India, Virdi led the company’s sports marketing portfolio across cricket, running, training, football and motorsport, working with organisations and properties including the BCCI and Indian Olympic Association.

“India’s sports landscape is entering an important phase of evolution, shaped by a new generation of audiences who are experiencing sport across competition, participation, entertainment, content and culture,” Virdi said. “NODWIN Sports gives us an opportunity to bring these perspectives together and build properties that are relevant to how the next generation wants to experience sport.”

NODWIN Gaming co-founder and managing director Akshat Rathee said the company saw an opportunity to build sporting properties around changing audience behaviour.

“Sport has always had the ability to bring people together at scale, and the way audiences experience sport is changing rapidly,” Rathee said. “We see an opportunity to build properties that reflect how younger audiences participate, compete, follow and engage with sport today.”

NODWIN Sports will leverage the company’s existing capabilities in content, production, partnerships and community engagement, as well as its experience in building youth-focused properties such as the BGMI Masters Series, Comic Con India, NH7 Weekender and VCSA.

The expansion comes as NODWIN seeks to establish itself as a broader youth entertainment and live experiences company rather than an esports-focused business alone. NODWIN reported revenue of Rs 658 crore in FY26, up 25% from Rs 524 crore a year earlier, while EBITDA turned positive at Rs 21 crore from a loss of Rs 14 crore in FY25.

The company is backed by listed gaming and sports-entertainment firm Nazara Technologies, which has been preparing for NODWIN’s eventual independent listing. NODWIN is targeting a public-market debut once business fundamentals and market conditions are favourable.