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- Pixel P&L: SEGA Races to the Olympics While Gaming Consoles Prep for Holiday Surge
Pixel P&L: SEGA Races to the Olympics While Gaming Consoles Prep for Holiday Surge

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 5 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:
Sonic speeds into the Olympics as SEGA and IOC forge multi-year partnership with "Five Rings" merchandise launching in 2026.
NODWIN unveils PlayStation India Cup with 60% prize boost, expanding India's console esports scene.
Adobe forecasts gaming console sales will surge 1,040% during holidays as shoppers target Nintendo Switch 2 and next-gen systems.
OnePlus signs an exclusive device deal with GodLike Esports, the latest hardware partnership in India's mobile gaming market.
VALORANT Champions 2025 draws 1.47M peak viewers, becoming the third most-watched VCT event ever.
Let's get into it.
Sonic Speeds Into Olympic Partnership as SEGA, IOC Forge Licensing Deal
SEGA and the International Olympic Committee unveiled a multi-year collaboration, merging the blue hedgehog's gaming legacy with Olympic heritage through a "Five Rings" merchandise initiative launching in 2026.
The partnership debuts custom artwork featuring Olympic rings reimagined with Sonic the Hedgehog's signature style, emphasizing shared values of excellence, respect and friendship. Both organizations are now courting retail partners for a comprehensive product line.
"Partnering with the International Olympic Committee allows us to bring those values to the forefront," said Shuji Utsumi, SEGA's President and COO, highlighting the company's commitment to inclusive global communities.
The deal extends the IOC's expanded licensing strategy, part of Olympic Agenda 2020+5, which aims to strengthen brand engagement between Games through collaborations targeting younger audiences. Elisabeth Allaman, IOC Deputy Managing Director, called the alliance an opportunity to unite "universally recognized Olympic rings with the beloved character of Sonic."
The announcement comes as the IOC deepens its gaming connections ahead of the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in Riyadh in 2027.
NODWIN Expands PlayStation India Cup With 60% Prize Increase
NODWIN Gaming unveiled Monday the fourth PlayStation India Cup, expanding India's limited console esports landscape with a INR 4 Lakh prize pool, a 60% jump from 2024's INR 2.5 Lakh cash-and-product purse.
The EA SPORTS FC 26 tournament, exclusive to PlayStation 5, will conclude at Delhi Comic Con's 40,000-square-foot gaming arena Dec. 5-7 at NSIC Grounds in Okhla. Registrations launch Oct. 8 via PS5 dashboards, with daily online qualifiers through Nov. 10 narrowing the field to eight finalists.
"The console esports scene in India is a premium niche," said Akshat Rathee, NODWIN's co-founder and managing director, positioning the competition as India's rare official console tournament.
The event targets what organizers call a premium gaming segment in a market traditionally dominated by mobile esports. Charanjot Singh captured last year's title in EA SPORTS FC 25.
NODWIN plans to amplify reach through influencer content and live streams throughout the tournament cycle, attempting to engage audiences beyond the competitive field. All finalists receive PlayStation merchandise alongside prize money.
⚡️Quick Bytes
OnePlus Signs Device Deal With GodLike Esports
GodLike Esports has named OnePlus as its exclusive smartphone supplier, the latest partnership between device makers and esports organizations competing in India's mobile gaming market. The deal makes OnePlus the official provider for GodLike's Battlegrounds Mobile India team and includes an endorsement with star player Jonathan "JONATHAN" Amaral, though financial terms weren't disclosed. GodLike founder Chetan "Kronten" Chandgude said the partnership would provide improved hardware
Adobe Forecasts Gaming Console Sales Surge 1,040% During Holiday Season
Gaming consoles will lead online holiday sales growth with a 1,040% surge versus average 2025 levels, Adobe forecasts, as shoppers target Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Games and accessories sales will rise 830% and 820% respectively. Hot titles include Elden Ring: Nightreign, EA Sports FC 26 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, part of Adobe's projected $253.4 billion U.S. online shopping season.
VALORANT Champions 2025 Draws 1.47 Million Peak Viewers
VALORANT Champions 2025 became the third most-watched VCT event with 1.47 million peak viewers and 47.58 million hours watched, according to Esports Charts. North American team NRG Esports captured the championship in Paris across 102 broadcast hours. While below Masters Madrid's 1.69 million peak last year, the tournament demonstrated VALORANT's sustained popularity in competitive gaming's top tier.
⚔️Side Quest
🤣Laugh:

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🎮 Play: You'll curse, laugh, and feel genuine pride hauling a floppy umbrella across Martian cliffs in your custom-built LEGO monstrosity. Mars First Logistics masters topographical maps, wrestles with center-of-mass nightmares, and discovers your personal threshold for physics-based chaos. It's meditative problem-solving until your topheavy creation tumbles, then it's pure, beautiful frustration.
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💡Did You Know
The Lion King on SEGA and SNES was brutally difficult by corporate design, not accident. Disney explicitly instructed developers to make the game so punishing that players couldn't beat it during a Blockbuster rental period, maximizing purchases over rentals. Years later, guilt-ridden developers publicly apologized to fans for the artificial difficulty they were forced to build into an otherwise beloved game.Retry
📜 Quote of the Day
"When you doubt the path trod thus far, when the hand you held is lost to you, gaze anew at the heart that once was… for all the answers are within."
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