Pixel P&L: NODWIN Doubles Down on India's Chess Craze

When a teenager conquers the chess world, you'd expect polite applause, not a viewership tsunami. But when 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest-ever chess champion, 3.6 million Indians tuned in. That’s more eyeballs than most non-cricket sports can dream of. India's quiet chess revolution is suddenly very loud (and very lucrative).

In today’s email:

 ♟️ Nodwin, ChessBase India, Chess.com plan to monetize India's chess obsession.

 📱 Reliance taps KRAFTON to woo up India’s 200M+ BGMI Players.

 🎬 Warner Bros. Games bet big on its most magical IPs.

Nodwin Gaming Partners with Chess.com to Capitalize on India's Chess Boom

NODWIN Gaming has forged a strategic partnership with Chess.com and ChessBase India to tap into the surging popularity of competitive chess in Asia's third-largest economy.

The alliance comes as chess has emerged as India's fourth most-watched sport, trailing only cricket, kabaddi, and mobile gaming tournaments. Chess.com reports over 9 million monthly active users in India, contributing to its 200 million global user base that generated 7.6 billion games in 2024.

The business opportunity became evident during December's World Chess Championship, which drew 24 million views and 200,000 peak concurrent viewers when Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju claimed the title.

"Chess is undergoing a cultural renaissance," said Akshat Rathee, NODWIN's co-founder, citing the transition from traditional venues to digital arenas.

The partnership positions the companies to benefit from chess's debut at the 2025 Esports World Cup, featuring a $1.5 million prize pool, as India's predominantly mobile-first, 18-34 demographic drives viewership growth.

India's Jio Launches Gaming-Focused Mobile Plan with KRAFTON Partnership

India's largest telecom operator Reliance Jio has launched the country's first gaming-specific mobile plan in partnership with South Korean game publisher KRAFTON India, the companies said on Tuesday. The plan also includes access to cloud gaming services across 500+ titles.

The INR 495 ($5.95) monthly plan combines data connectivity with exclusive in-game rewards for KRAFTON's popular battle royale game BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA, which has recorded over 200 million downloads.

"At KRAFTON, our mission has always been to elevate and democratize gaming experiences for Indian players," said Seddharth Merrotra, Head of Business Development at KRAFTON India.

The partnership comes as Indian telecom operators seek new revenue sources amid fierce price competition. Jio, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, dominates India's wireless market with over 400 million subscribers.

Rival operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have yet to announce similar gaming-focused offerings.

⚡Quick Bytes

Tencent Eyes $15 Billion Nexon in Potential Takeover Bid

Chinese gaming giant Tencent Holdings has approached the family of Nexon's late founder about a potential acquisition of the South Korean game developer, according to Bloomberg. Kim Jung-ju's family is evaluating options with advisers for the company, valued at approximately $15 billion.

Xbox, AMD Partner to Co-Engineer Next-Gen Gaming Hardware

Microsoft’s Xbox division has struck a multi-year partnership with AMD to develop custom silicon for its next generation of gaming devices, including future consoles and handhelds. Xbox president Sarah Bond said the collaboration will drive innovation across consoles, PC, and cloud, with AI-enhanced experiences and full backward compatibility. The deal signals Xbox’s continued push toward a unified, platform-agnostic ecosystem built around its game library and hardware versatility.

Warner Bros. Games Restructures Around Four Core Franchises

Warner Bros. Games restructured its operations around four key franchises—Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat and DC Universe—promoting three studio heads to senior vice president roles. The "Hogwarts Legacy" maker's reorganization follows former chief David Haddad's January departure and aligns with parent Warner Bros. Discovery's broader franchise-focused strategy.

⚔️Side Quest

📺 Watch: This deep dive into Disc Replay, a video game and electronics retail chain, chronicles its growth from one store to 13 franchises. The founder's candid discussion of scaling anxiety and his "treasure hunt" merchandising strategy offer valuable lessons for any business owner navigating rapid expansion challenges.

🎮 Play: The Alters, now available on Game Pass, is a sci-fi game where you manage alternate versions of yourself. From the This War of Mine developers, it brilliantly combines base building with existential storytelling about confronting different life paths. The concept offers surprisingly profound insights into decision-making and personal growth.

📚 Read: Solitaire games generated 347 million downloads and $470 million in revenue in 2024. This analysis reveals how publishers like Playtika transformed a classic card game into a mobile gaming powerhouse through clever monetization strategies. Essential reading for understanding overlooked opportunities in traditional game formats.

💡Did You Know

The "He Who Has No Life" character who terrorized players in South Park's "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode was reportedly based on video game project manager Joey Ray Hall. This mysterious, high-level World of Warcraft player became one of the most memorable antagonists in South Park history. The 2006 Emmy-winning episode, created with Blizzard Entertainment's collaboration, used actual game footage to satirize gaming culture. The character's design perfectly captured the extreme dedication to gaming that the show wanted to parody, making it one of South Park's most technically ambitious episodes.

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