Homegrown esports firm Nodwin Gaming said on Friday it has acquired the gaming and intellectual property (IP) business of media and entertainment firm OML Entertainment for Rs 73 crore.
As part of the deal, OML managing director Ajay Nair will join Nodwin’s board. Nodwin will be handling all gaming-related events and IPs that come from OML’s stables.
The IPs from OML include Bacardi NH7 Weekender, YouTube Fan Fest, and India’s biggest hip-hop league — Breezer Vivid Shuffle.
Nodwin recently raised Rs 164 crore in equity investment from South Korean gaming firm Krafton, which is the company behind games like PUBG Mobile and Battleground Mobile India.
It also has investments from gaming and sports media company Nazara Technologies, which owns a majority stake, and Kris Gopalakrishnan-backed gaming firm JetSynthesys.
“What we have been seeing over the past few years is that there’s a big convergence happening between comedy, music and gaming,” said Sidharth Kedia, chief executive of Nodwin.
“We’re getting access to some of the IPs that OML has created specifically for the youth, where there is a big crossover of gaming, music and comedy. We’re also getting access to all the talent which is now increasingly focusing on gaming. Those are the businesses that we’re acquiring from OML,” he added.
OML works with comedians like Tanmay Bhat and Smay Raina, who have both been noted for hosting gaming content on their YouTube channels. “It makes a lot of sense to consolidate the strengths that OML and Nodwin have in the live IP and gaming spaces,” said OML’s Nair.
He added that the company will focus on building content for OTT (over the top) platforms, talent management and branded content businesses.
