Mentioned in this article
- NODWIN Gaming, the largest esports company based in India, launches its first international branch in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- The company has appointed Nathaneal Slabbert, head of operations; and Anthony Nell, head of sales; to spearhead the functions in the region.
- The African continent has yet to host a major international esports event, with games such as League of Legends only expanding to North Africa this year.
NODWIN Gaming, an esports events and gaming solutions company based out of India, has chosen South Africa for its first international expansion location. With new office space based in Johannesburg, company Founder and Managing Director Akshat Rathee sees the move as a springboard into mainland Africa.
“It has traditional respect and love for gaming and sports equally. It’s a superb country for us to go ahead and introduce esports to and build NODWIN’s presence in the African continent. We look forward to working with the partners in the future and see where we can go,” he said in a statement.
As part of its entry into the region, NODWIN has hired as head of operations Nathaneal Slabbert, whose experience in esports production includes the ESL African Championship. In addition, South African esports veteran Anthony Nell will join as head of sales, having operated production house Game TimeMedia.
“Regarding the development of esports in the region, the scenario right now looks a lot similar to what India was 5 years ago,” said NODWIN CEO Sidarth Kedia. “The South African audience is a healthy mix of PC and console players alongside the massive mobile gaming populace. We have an opportunity to create a professional and organized ecosystem of esports in the country for the brands, players, and fans to benefit equally from.”
NODWIN has brought western esports and gaming event brands to India, such as ESL One and DreamHack, and continues to host local events in partnership with brands including Omen by HP, Mountain Dew, and Red Bull.
