In a significant move set to transform the youth content landscape, Banijay Asia, a division of Banijay Entertainment, has joined forces with NODWIN Gaming, a material subsidiary of Nazara Technologies, to revolutionize the esports, gaming, and youth entertainment space in India. The partnership aims to merge high-quality content creation with the fast-growing gaming culture, targeting a new generation of Indian audiences.

According to a press release, Banijay Asia will take charge of producing ‘Playground’, NODWIN Gaming’s flagship gaming reality series that has been instrumental in bridging the worlds of gaming, entertainment, and influencer culture. The companies will also co-develop fresh intellectual properties (IPs), exploring new scripted and captive reality formats specifically designed for the gaming and youth ecosystem.

Commenting on the partnership, Deepak Dhar, Founder & Group CEO – Banijay Asia & Endemol Shine India, said, “This collaboration with NODWIN Gaming is an exciting extension of our vision to create content that resonates with evolving youth audiences. Gaming is not just a sport; it’s a culture, a lifestyle, and a massive content opportunity. With Playground and our upcoming IPs, we aim to redefine engagement and storytelling in this space.”

He added, “I look forward to the creative collaboration with Akshat Rathee, and Joost Roset who we previously worked with, in bringing iconic global IPs to India. This is an invaluable opportunity to create clutter-breaking formats in the youth and gaming space.”

NODWIN Gaming, a trailblazer in India’s gaming and esports industry, has previously built a diverse portfolio that includes the televised ‘BGMI Masters Series’ (BGMS), ‘Comic Con India’, ‘NH7 Weekender’, and several other cultural properties. Their deep-rooted understanding of youth preferences and gaming communities makes them a formidable partner in this venture.

Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder & MD of NODWIN Gaming, said, “Youth entertainment is evolving rapidly, and our partnership with Banijay Asia positions us perfectly to lead that change. With Playground, we’ve just begun to explore what’s possible. Backed by Banijay’s global expertise, we’re now set to scale the IP across multiple languages and markets, with the ambition of building an international format.”

Rathee added that the Rusk creative team will continue to play an active role as Playground grows, aiming to expand from a single flagship to five to ten shows each year. “This is just the beginning of a bold new chapter in gaming and youth content,” he said.

With gaming fast becoming one of the most powerful youth-driven industries in India, this collaboration seeks to raise the bar for content consumption in the country. Combining Banijay Asia’s content prowess and NODWIN Gaming’s influence in the esports and youth space, the alliance is expected to usher in a new era of storytelling that captures the imagination of India’s digitally savvy generation.

Banijay’s global strength in the gaming space is already well-established through its distribution arm Banijay Rights, with content activations linked to globally recognized franchises like ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Black Mirror’, ‘Simon’s Cat’, and ‘MasterChef’.