Sony Sells Possession Stake in Evo to Nodwin Gaming

Sony has offered its possession stake in preventing recreation aggressive occasion Evo to Indian gaming and occasions firm Nodwin Gaming, leaving Nodwin and RTS as joint homeowners.

This is the second time Evo has modified fingers in 4 years. It was beforehand bought collectively by Sony and RTS (a expertise administration and model consulting firm based by streamer Pokimane) in 2021.

Sony shouldn’t be totally departing Evo. It will likely be a worldwide sponsor of Evo by way of 2028, and is without doubt one of the backers of Nodwin Gaming. “When SIE acquired Evo alongside RTS in 2021, our goal was to help the Evo community grow and spotlight the skills and passion of fighting game fans on a global stage,” stated Phil Rosenberg, SVP and Head of Global Partner Development & Relations at Sony Interactive Entertainment. “As SIE transitions to become an Evo sponsor, the momentum for Evo has never been stronger, following a successful Las Vegas event and upcoming expansion to new regions. We look forward to supporting the continued growth of Evo globally.”

Nodwin Gaming could also be an unfamiliar identify to many. It’s a gaming and occasions firm based mostly in India that was based in 2015, and has led or facilitated occasions equivalent to Dreamhack India, Comic Con India, Valorant Challengers South Asia, numerous PUBG Mobile championships, and others.

At the identical time, Saudia Arabian firm Qiddiya, which turned a worldwide companion of Evo final 12 months, has introduced it’s investing in RTS and can stay a worldwide Evo companion by way of 2027. Qiddiya is the Saudi funding firm behind a large leisure and tourism mission within the nation, which goals to construct a high-tech metropolis centered round sports activities, gaming, and leisure.

This change has some Evo followers questioning what the longer term will maintain for Evo. Under Sony’s possession, PlayStation 5 was featured prominently on the occasion every year, together with with demos for Sony video games equivalent to Astro Bot and Marvel Tokon. However, Sony’s possession additionally got here simultaneous with Nintendo dropping out of the occasion and not allowing Super Smash Bros. to be performed there. Some are questioning if the departure of Nintendo’s console rival means Smash Bros. could make a comeback in future years.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a narrative tip? Send it to [email protected].