Nazara’s NODWIN Gaming Eyes Expansion In UAE & Turkey With Ninja Global FZCO Buyout

Nazara Technologies’ esports subsidiary NODWIN Gaming has said it will acquire 100% ownership of Ninja Global FZCO (Ninja), a company which has assets in esports and gaming production across Turkey and the Middle East.

The deal further bolsters NODWIN’s global emerging market delivery network, empowering the company to provide enhanced solutions to publishers and brands in the Middle East and Turkey, it said.

Following its acquisition of Games Marketing Services company PublishMe in October, this strategic move solidifies NODWIN Gaming’s foothold in the growing Middle Eastern and Turkish markets.

Akshat Rathee, cofunder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said, “ As NODWIN Gaming actively broadens its global footprint, with a special focus on key emerging markets within the new BRICS+ global network, the integration of Ninja is a natural and essential step forward. This move positions us to empower local esports ecosystems, understand, and unlock the potential of multiple emerging market.”

Founded in 2014 by Akshat Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN is an esports and game development company which counts Valorant and PUBG as its portfolio. It claims to have established a global presence in regions such as South Asia, Singapore, the Middle East, and Turkey.

It engages with professional esports athletes, teams and content creators, and is backed by the likes of Nazara, KRAFTON Inc, Sony Group Corporation and JetSynthesys.

NODWIN Gaming has been on an acquisition spree since last year. It recently announced that it would pick up a 100% stake in Comic Con India for INR 55 Cr ($6 Mn) in a cash and stock deal, to diversify its youth portfolio and expand its presence in the global entertainment space.

Prior to that, it announced that it would be investing €8 Mn (around INR 71.8 Cr) in Germany-based marketing services company for gaming and esports, Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH.

Last year, it also acquired a 100% stake in PublishME for $2 Mn from the game marketing agency’s existing shareholders – founder Ozgur Ozalp and Nazara.

Nodwin Gaming parent company Nazara also raised a fresh capital of INR 510 Cr from investors including Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath and SBI Mutual Fund. Speaking to Inc42, CEO Nitish Mittersain had said that the company would invest the fresh funds in gaming studios capable of producing top-tier games tailored for both the Indian and global markets.