Cricket will inevitably get involved in esports in some form: Nodwin Gaming's Akshat Rathee

This year, instead of a single title sponsor, Nodwin Gaming is partnering with a team of key collaborators for the upcoming BGMS tournament. "This approach, similar to esports and the Olympics, allows us to work with a diverse group of valued partners like Philips and TVS, says Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming."

Gaming’s mainstream adoption is similar to how politicians engage with sports like football or cricket. In Europe, football is life, especially with events like the EUROS where even presidents are talking to each other about the matches. Cricket has become ubiquitous in India and gaming is now reaching the same level of prominence, states Rathee.

In a chat with Storyboard18, Akshat Rathee, Co-founder and Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming discusses the vision for NODWIN's global expansion and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by different markets, mainstream adoption and its impact on the industry and more.

NODWIN Gaming's expansion from esports to acquiring entities like Comic Con India and Planet Superheroes hints at a larger vision. Can you elaborate on how NODWIN Gaming is transforming into a holistic youth entertainment company?

There was a time when gamers were a small subset of youth. However, with the advent of COVID-19, gaming has become a superset. It is now rare to find a young person with a smartphone who doesn’t have a game on it. This shift means that youth culture and gaming have become almost synonymous. NODWIN Gaming operates on the theory of 'timeshare of mindshare.'

This concept is about capturing more of our target audience's time through various activities. We engage them through influencers on Instagram, the Playground IP’s content on Amazon mini TV, performances at the NH7 Music Festival, events like Comic-Con, and watching BGMS on Star Sports. Since NODWIN Gaming is not a destination, our assets—our influencers, content, music, events, and IPs—serve as our destinations, ensuring we capture the youth's attention across multiple platforms.

Can you share your vision for NODWIN's global expansion and the unique challenges and opportunities presented by different markets?

Our theory of 'timeshare of mindshare' applies globally wherever there is youth. At the G20 Summit, our Prime Minister frequently emphasized on the term the 'global south' which includes countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Turkey, and Mexico. All of these places have burgeoning youth populations and growing economies. These emerging markets present the most potential for growth and engagement, and they are where we are most interested in focusing our efforts.

With PM Modi and celebrities leveraging gaming, can you explain this mainstream adoption and its impact on the industry?

Gaming’s mainstream adoption is similar to how politicians engage with sports like football or cricket. In Europe, football is life, especially with events like the EUROS where even presidents are talking to each other about the matches. Cricket has become ubiquitous in India and gaming is now reaching the same level of prominence.

In a country with a population of 1.4 billion, having around 500-600 million gamers makes gaming significant enough to warrant mainstream attention. If we were to count these gamers as a population, 500-600 million would be the third or fourth largest country in the world. This vast number makes the gaming community impossible to ignore. Like Bollywood or cricket, gaming has now gained a similar level of mainstream importance and recognition, becoming a superset.

From Netflix to LinkedIn, gamification is a growing trend. Can you discuss how NODWIN Gaming views this trend and the potential for collaboration with established platforms to enhance user engagement through gamified experiences?

Whether it be Netflix, Amazon mini TV, YouTube, or Star Sports, these are all different distribution platforms that excel in their own audiences and experiences. They will all continue to incorporate gamification because gamification involves creating engaging experiences that release dopamine through achievements and goals.

This concept can be applied across various platforms, from Excel screen competitions to Excel modelling competitions. You can have kids engaging with it through Minecraft or corporate finance executives using it for business modelling. Even rocket scientists could use it to play rocket ship against each other.

Gamification can also be applied to matchmaking in dating, where you match two players of similar ranks, say one at rank 20 and another at rank 25, to play chess or Counter-Strike and perhaps even go on a date. This underlying tech and understanding of what people like, why they like it, and their characteristics allow for extensive matchmaking in various spheres of life.

Esports gaining recognition in major international tournaments opens doors for Indian athletes. How is NODWIN Gaming fostering esports talent and preparing India for this global stage?

There are two main aspects to consider: traditional esports and their integration into systems like the Olympics. Traditional esports include titles like Counter-Strike, DOTA 2, League of Legends, BGMI, and PUBG Mobile. The Olympics, unfortunately, is not designed to include private games owned by corporations because it operates through an elected system. Due to its structure, it requires sports to be represented by existing international federations.

For example, FIFA must choose the closest esports title that represents their sport; it could be the old FIFA game developed by EA, but they have now chosen Rocket League as the game best represented by FIFA. Similarly, every other international federation, whether it is Kabaddi, boxing, sailing, or shooting, selects different games that represent their communities.

Control has shifted from private corporations to elected systems, and these elected systems choose which titles belong to them. These federations now choose esports titles that best represent their sport. This shift allows Indian athletes to participate on a global stage under the guidance of these federations, thus opening new opportunities.

What are your predictions for the future of eSports when it comes to opportunities and challenges, both for NODWIN and for the broader industry?

One of the things we will see is a growing competition between mainstream sports and esports. We have yet to see cricket and esports come together, whether as a cricket esports title or involving cricketers or IPL cricket teams. Cricket will inevitably get involved in esports in some form, both domestically and internationally.

I think Bollywood will also play a role. Typically, Bollywood stars engage in endorsements, but as they grow older, they will seek to connect with younger audiences. This need to reach a new, younger audience base will become increasingly important and you see this with actors like Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan. Music esports and music gaming will also grow as a phenomenon in the country. If you look at the three or four biggest cultural sectors in India, they will all intersect because their influence is so significant.

Can you shed light on current trends, emerging technologies, and the unique marketing strategies needed to tap into the growing esports audience in India?

Augmented reality (AR) and technology-assisted games will start becoming increasingly important. There is a game called HADO which is doing really well. In marketing, one of the biggest examples is Liberty Media’s strategy of producing ‘Drive To Survive’ for Formula One. The ability to create engaging storylines is very important.

The mixed use of media between sports, content, influencers, and storytelling can elevate esports. To treat esports like sports, you have to give it the same respect and storyline as traditional sports. Similar to Drive to Survive, League of Legends and certain Chinese games are also adopting this approach, and it will only get bigger and bigger.

Now, India has finally found its voice in gaming and esports. When it was just PC gaming, India was very far behind because Europe, North America, and Korea were much ahead, as they were a decade ahead in technology. But with mobile gaming and the size and enthusiasm of our following, it has become much easier to catch up. We have even seen this with a country like Nepal; the PUBG Mobile team in Nepal is so loved that there are more watchers of PUBG Mobile in Nepal than there are players.

Star Sports and NODWIN Gaming recently extended their media rights deal for the third edition of BGMS. Could you give us an idea about who are the sponsors here?

We have moved away from the traditional 'title sponsors; concept and now refer to our sponsors as key partners. Similar to the approach taken in sports and the Olympics, we have multiple key partners who are equivalent to each other. For the upcoming BGMS tournament, we have several key partners, including Philips and TVS, among others. We will soon be announcing more details about these partnerships.