Nazara Technologies' NODWIN Gaming acquires 100% stake in licensed merchandising D2C company Planet Superheroes

NODWIN Gaming, a subsidiary of diversified gaming and sports media firm Nazara Technologies Limited, is foraying into licensed merchandising with the acquisition of comic, pop culture and superheroes merchandising retailer — Planet Superheroes. The cost of acquisition is Rs 4.90 crore.

On acquisition, Superhero become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nodwin and this will give Nodwin an entry in D2C business catering to gaming fans across the country by increasing its offerings with licensed merchandise. The acquisition will be completed in one month.

The company in a statement said, "this new addition will enable NODWIN Gaming to offer iconic global merchandise to the millions of youths who engage with NODWIN Gaming via its immensely popular IPs such as India Premiership, Valorant Conquerors Championship (VCC), NH7 and DreamHack. NODWIN will also expand on the current offerings of Planet Superheroes by exploring partnerships with global publishers like KRAFTON, Gameloft, Riot Games etc., to create innovative and locally relevant merchandise and licensing offerings on games like BGMI, Valorant, PUBG PC, Asphalt, CSGO, etc., that have become household names."

Incorporated on June 2, 2015, Planet Superheroes (PSH) is a tech-enabled, omnichannel brand that retails licensed character merchandise or 'Superhero Merch' as it is popularly known. PSH offers officially licensed merchandise from Marvel, Warner Bros, Disney, Viacom Networks, Cartoon Network, Fox Studios, Hamleys and Toys R Us, among others. The variety ranges from action figures, collectables, toys for kids, fashion & home accessories, stationery and apparel. The Superhero Operates 100% business in India. Revenue of the last three years:

Planet Superheroes has catered to 2L+ consumers and has shipped over 5L orders since its incorporation in 2015. It has partnered with over 10+ marquee licensed global and domestic IP partners and has created a strong global supply chain with omnichannel operations. The just-in-time operations of the firm have helped it run a highly cost-efficient business, providing strong operating leverage with scale. Over the last one year, it has also built its proprietary social commerce engine that it will integrate with NODWIN's in-house assets to create a first-of-its-kind 'Influencer-First' merchandising engine.

"The Indian gaming and esports industry has witnessed a metamorphic rise in its fan base in recent years. The acquisition of Planet Superheroes will enable NODWIN Gaming to have another strategic touchpoint with fans that celebrate a common love for all things gaming, pop culture and esports. We believe in increasing the existing offering of global brands to include mega tournaments, Games and even the popular talent and players like Mortal, Samay Raina, Tanmay, Ankit Panth and others," said Akshat Rathee, Founder and MD, NODWIN Gaming.

NODWIN Gaming continues building out its portfolio of offerings to gaming and esports fans in the country. This acquisition adds to its recently acquired minority stake in new-age digital media organization Rusk Media and the acquisition of the gaming and adjacent IP business of OML Entertainment, taking on the BACARDI NH7 Weekender music festival IP, the YouTube fan Festival and gaming talents like Samay Raina and Tanmay Bhat.