Nazara’s Nodwin Gaming acquires AFK Gaming

Nodwin Gaming, a gaming and esports division of India’s Nazara Technologies, has acquired AFK Gaming, a gaming and esports media company.

Mumbai-based Nazara owns Nodwin Gaming, and now AFK Gaming will become a fully owned subsidiary of Nodwin Gaming.

This acquisition strengthens Nodwin Gaming’s esports related content production and distribution, and marketing and PR services capabilities. These capabilities will enhance Nodwin Gaming’s offerings to brands and publishers, making it a strong one-stop-shop for all esports and gaming related marketing activities and thereby increasing the share of wallet of marketing budgets for Nodwin Gaming.

The acquisition of 93% of the share capital of AFK Gaming will be a combination of cash and stock swap of NODWIN Gaming shares for a total consideration of INR 7.6 Crores. 

Nodwin already owned the balance 7% of AFK previously. As part of this transaction, the founders will become shareholders of Nodwin Gaming and be integrated into different verticals in the Nodwin Gaming ecosystem.

In 2017, Nodwin Gaming led AFK Gaming’s first round of investment as a strategic investor, helping the founders turn their hobby into a business. This acquisition completes the lifecycle of Nodwin’s strategic investment into the company, making AFK a 100% subsidiary on close.

Founded in 2012 by Nishant Patel, Rakesh Ramchandran and Siddharth Nayyar, AFK Gaming has been at the forefront of the Indian gaming and esports media industry for over a decade.

Apart from providing the latest updates from the industry through its website and its specially curated gaming business newsletter Pixel P&L, its agency vertical, Max Level, offers bespoke marketing services to teams, tournament organizers, game publishers and brands looking to connect with gaming and esports audiences.

This includes campaign management, IP building, content production, video editing, consultancy, social media marketing, influencer programs and public relations & communications as well. Its clientele includes brands like Asus ROG, CyberPowerPC India, Krafton, Saudi Esports Federation, ESL Faceit Group, The Esports World Cup, Jio Games, TVS and more. Max Level has worked closely with Nodwin Gaming for a majority of its IPs and white-label solutions.

Patel will join the founders’ office to work on strategic initiatives across the Nodwin Group, while building out Pixel P&L as a media product within the company. Ramchandran will be a part of the larger Nodwin team, focusing on augmenting the company’s ability to build tech led products and Siddharth will continue to head Max Level, focusing on high quality, cost efficient, marketing and PR services.