India’s biggest esports company, NODWIN Gaming in a landmark move, has announced its expansion to South Africa.
NODWIN Gaming announced the appointment of Nathaneal Slabbert, Head of Operations and Anthony Nell, Head of Sales to spearhead the functions in the region. With immense experience in esports operations, production and tournament execution, the duo adds rich value to this expansion.
Akshat Rathee, Founder and MD, NODWIN Gaming said:
South Africa is one of the biggest markets which we can go ahead and enter in and I believe it is a springboard to 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
Merlin Wiedeking, Head of International Business, NODWIN Gaming added:
I’m very excited to have Antony and Nate on board for our South African expansion. We have big plans for the region and their experience with the local market will be key
Joining the banner of NODWIN Gaming is Nathaneal, a semi-pro Counter-Strike player himself who has over 10 years of experience in the esports industry. An expert in esports production and broadcast, Nathaneal has been a part of projects like the ESL African Championship. Apart from his work behind the scenes, Nathaneal also spends a fair amount of time in front of the camera, he has been casting and analyzing games since 2013. He had a few words to share regarding this move:
I am really excited to join the team at NODWIN. Sharing the same passion in esports with them I believe it is a definite win for the South African and African markets. It is the right recipe we need in the region, and it is super exciting times ahead for all that love esports and gaming
On the other hand, Anthony is a local South African esports veteran, having recently co-operated the Game TimeMedia production house start-up and has previously owned two major MGO’s. He has worked on projects like the Mega8 Seasonal esports tournaments, Evetech Champions League and MSI Hero Cup at rAge Expo 2019. Being an avid gamer one will still find Anthony on local Dota 2 servers and at local LAN events in South Africa.
Sidharth Kedia, CEO, NODWIN Gaming:
With South Africa, we are pushing our geographical limits. The expansion is a gateway to not just South Africa but the whole of Africa. Regarding the development of esports in the region, the scenario right now looks a lot similar to what India was 5 years ago. 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. With Nate and Anthony being reputable faces in the community, we are more than ready to kickstart our multinational operations.
Commenting on the expansion, Anthony Nell, Head of Sales, NODWIN Gaming South Africa said :
It is an absolute honor to join the NODWIN team and to be a part of their ambitions on the African continent. South Africa has been largely ignored in terms of global esports expansion and NODWIN Gaming International’s goals for the region are the first steps in the right direction.
In addition to the headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, the new office space multiplies the company footprint and supports its growth strategy.
As the leaders of Indian esports, NODWIN Gaming has significantly changed the course of esports in the country and is now looking forward to offering its professional services to the audience of South Africa. The two iterations of DreamHack in India provided a healthy exposure of the local culture and the esports scene for the South African teams like Bravado, Energy Esports, and Goliath Gaming. The two countries share a good rapport in the evolving esports ecosystem.
The expansion marks the beginning of new partnerships, a new audience, and a whole lot of exciting esports action for the region. This in-turn makes NODWIN Gaming the first Indian esports company to go multinational.
Stay tuned for more news and updates!
