Gaming Report: Dream11 Acquires Fantasy Stock Trading Portal Sixer, Nodwin Takes Over Nazara Technologies’ Publishme & WinZO to Enter Brazilian Market

The gaming industry, already grappling with the repercussions of the newly enforced 28% GST on player deposits, recently witnessed a flurry of significant developments. This report delves into three major updates that dominated the headlines.

Even after taking a significant hit on bearing the GST burden of players, fantasy gaming giant Dream11 hasn`t slowed down on its expansion plans. Sporta Technologies, the parent company of Dream11, recently acquired Delhi-based fantasy cricket stocks trading platform Sixer through a business agreement with Oyster Soft India.

In a similar move, Nodwin Gaming‘s Singapore arm has acquired 100% ownership of game marketing agency Publishme, marking a strategic move to broaden its services. This acquisition was disclosed in a stock exchange filing and encompassed an 82.81% stake purchase from its parent firm Nazara Technologies’ Dubai division for $2 Million in cash. The remaining 17.19% stake was obtained from Publishme co-founder Ozgur Ozalp.

In a bold expansion endeavour, social gaming firm WinZO Games is gearing up to set foot in Brazil. The company has announced plans to allocate a substantial $25 Million investment to establish its presence in the world’s fourth-largest gaming hub.

Dream11 Acquires Fantasy Stock Trading Platform Sixer

Dream11, India’s biggest fantasy gaming platform, recently made a strategic acquisition by taking over Delhi-based fantasy cricket stocks trading platform Sixer.

The transition has been facilitated through a business transfer agreement between Oyster Soft India, the operator of Sixer, and Sporta Technologies, the parent company of Dream11. As part of this agreement, all of Sixer’s assets and liabilities will be seamlessly transferred to Dream11.

The app’s founder, Amay Makhikja, officially disclosed the acquisition to the users via an email on September 26.

Founded in 2018, Sixer’s unique concept revolves around treating players as stocks, with their performance directly impacting their market value. Users can buy and sell these “stocks” and must predict outcomes and construct their teams accordingly.

Addressing the users, Makhija expressed his optimism about the collaboration, stating that it will open up innovation opportunities and offer players an enhanced gaming experience.

Makhija also assured users with funds in their accounts that there is no cause for concern and that their trading experience will remain uninterrupted, and services will continue without hindrance.

Makhija commended Dream11 as one of the country`s most reliable and forward-thinking brands, one that recognized the innovative nature of Sixer’s offerings and believed that it could shape the future of fantasy sports.

Nodwin Gaming’s Singapore Unit Acquires 100% Stake in Nazara-Owned Game Marketing Agency Publishme For $2 Million

Esports firm Nodwin Gaming’s Singapore division has successfully acquired a 100% stake in the game marketing agency Publishme to expand the range of its services. The news was made public in a recent stock market disclosure and involves the purchase of an 82.81% stake from its parent firm, Nazara Technologies’ Dubai division, for a cash payment of $2 Million. Additionally, Nodwin Gaming has picked up the remaining 17.19% stake from Publishme co-founder Ozgur Ozalp.

Publishme is a West Asia and Turkey-focused company that offers a broad spectrum of services, including organizing events, overseeing sponsorships, and managing social media for game publishers. Their current clientele features renowned names like Activision, Garena, Supercell, Ubisoft, and Nvidia.

While the acquired firm will continue to operate under the name Publishme in Turkey, it will undergo rebranding to become Nodwin Gaming in the Middle East. Co-founder Ozalp will take over as the Chief Executive of Nodwin Gaming Dubai.

Akshat Rathee, the co-founder and Managing Director of Nodwin Gaming, shared his enthusiasm over the acquisition. “This strategic acquisition not only brings in a host of new opportunities but also paves the way for a multitude of fresh possibilities for us as a leading gaming and esports media company.”

Nitish Mittersain, the CEO of Nazara Technologies, viewed this move as a strategic decision to amplify Nodwin Gaming’s presence in the Middle East esports market. “The synergies between Nodwin and Publishme were extremely evident to us, and Nodwin was also looking to expand their footprint in the Middle East. This deal makes perfect sense if we want to exploit these synergies.”

Nodwin Gaming has established a strong reputation within the video gaming industry, notably hosting prominent tournaments for popular games such as BGMI and organizing events like Dreamhack India. The upcoming Dreamhack event, conducted in partnership with the ESL Faceit group, is scheduled for November in Hyderabad, marking another exciting venture for the company.

Notably, Nodwin Gaming recently secured $28 Million in funding through a round led by Nazara Technologies, Krafton, and JetSynthesys in May of this year. Nazara Technologies also holds a 54% stake in Nodwin Gaming. In April, the company acquired a majority stake in Branded, a Singapore-based live events company, as part of its broader global expansion strategy.

WinZO Games Earmarks $25 Million Investment to Enter the Brazilian Market

In a strategic move to expand its global footprint, social gaming firm WinZO Games is gearing up to enter the vibrant Brazilian market. This bold expansion endeavour will see WinZO Games allocating a substantial $25 Million investment to establish its presence in the country. This move comes shortly after the GST Council in India imposed a 28% GST on all player deposits in the real-gaming industry.

Standing tall as the world’s fourth-largest gaming hub, Brazil is home to a massive 90 million gaming aficionados.

Saumya Singh Rathore, co-founder of WinZO Games, elucidated the strategic importance of this move. “Brazil is a very interesting market. Almost 98% of the local population actually consumes in Portuguese. Brazil is actually where India was in 2017. So they have just recently started Pix, which is similar to UPI phenomena where micro-transactions and payments are getting solved.”

She further added, “We have raised close to $100 million over the years, and while a substantial amount is invested in India, we have enough cash and will deploy $25 million in Brazil.”

Co-founder Pavan Nanda highlighted this expansion’s dual benefits to both WinZO Games and its partner game developers. “WinZO’s expansion into Brazil will enable our 100+ partner game developers to export games while gaining free access to the Brazilian market. This expansion is particularly timely in the context of challenges faced by India’s gaming ecosystem due to a 400-per cent increase in the GST. Surely, stable revenue growth from export will help WinZO and all the partner games compensate for the impact on unit economies due to the change in GST.”

WinZO Games, currently collaborating with over 100 game developers, is celebrated for creating popular and engaging titles such as carrom, ludo, and chess. The company’s core focus centres around esports, skill games, and Web3 Gaming. Earlier this year, it announced its achievement of surpassing 40 billion micro-transactions in FY23.

The company has conducted beta testing in the Brazilian market, where ludo emerged as one of the most sought-after games on the platform. WinZO Games is also dedicated to expanding its offerings to cater to Portuguese-speaking audiences.

To further bolster the prospects of Indian game developers, WinZO Games is preparing to launch the inaugural India Pavilion at the Brazil Game Show, the country’s largest gaming exhibition. This initiative will give gaming developers a unique opportunity to showcase their games to a global audience.