The top 8 teams battle for a spot at the Split 2 LAN finals on May 31 and June 1

The stage is set for the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025 Split 2 (OMEN VCSA Split 2) as eight of the region’s finest VALORANT teams prepare to clash for glory and a prize pool of INR 29 lakhs. Organised by NODWIN Gaming, a leader in the global esports and gaming ecosystem, in collaboration with Riot Games, makers of the globally acclaimed title, VALORANT, Split 2 of the OMEN VCSA will feature three weeks of high-octane action.

Following a highly competitive Split 1 that amassed over 10 million views across platforms, the tournament enters a critical phase with heightened stakes. Of the eight remaining teams, only the top three will secure a place at the LAN Finals, where they will compete not only for the championship title and prize pool but also for essential Challenger Points that play a decisive role in their qualification journey toward VCT Ascension Pacific 2025.

From the Organizers

Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder & Managing Director, NODWIN Gaming: “The OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia is part of a growing ecosystem that’s being shaped by the passion of our players, the energy of the community, and the support of our partners. Split 1 has already shown just how strong that foundation is, with great viewership and fan engagement. As we move ahead, the focus is on creating more opportunities for players and putting South Asia firmly on the global VALORANT map. The potential here is massive—and we’re just getting started.”

Sukamal Pegu, Esports Lead, South Asia, Riot Games: “Split 1 of the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025 laid a strong foundation, elevating the competitive bar and uncovering standout talent from across the region. As we move into Split 2, we expect the intensity to rise even further. At Riot Games, our vision is to build a sustainable esports ecosystem in South Asia, one that empowers players, engages fans, and creates a clear pathway to bigger stages in the VCT (VALORANT Champions Tour) Circuits like the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia are central to that vision, and Split 2 represents another key milestone in shaping the future of competitive VALORANT in the region.”

Prize Pool Distribution:

• Split 2 Winner: ₹12,15,000
• Runner-up: ₹6,48,000
• 3rd Place: ₹4,45,500
• 4th Place: ₹2,43,000
• 5th Place: ₹1,21,500
• 6th Place: ₹1,21,500
• 7th Place: ₹81,000
• 8th Place: ₹81,000

Opening Matches:

• May 16, 2025 | 3:00 PM: Velocity Gaming vs Asterisk
• May 16, 2025 | 6:00 PM: Reckoning Esports vs GE Academy
• May 17, 2025 | 3:00 PM: Revenant x Spark vs XO IND
• May 17, 2025 | 6:00 PM: DotExe Esports vs S8UL Esports (BO3)

An Invitation to the Community

NODWIN Gaming and Riot Games welcome fans, players, and esports enthusiasts from across the region to be a part of the OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025. With three high-stakes splits offering a shot at VCT Ascension Pacific 2025, the tournament marks a major step forward for VALORANT esports in the region.

Together, NODWIN Gaming and Riot Games continue to strengthen the esports ecosystem in South Asia, amplifying player stories, uncovering new talent, and uniting fans in celebration of esports brilliance.

Check out the thrilling broadcast of the OMEN VCSA 2025 on the following links :-

Hindi and English broadcast on NODWIN Gaming’s Official YouTube Channel

Hindi Broadcast on NODWIN Gaming’s Official Facebook Page

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OMEN VALORANT Challengers South Asia 2025 Split 2 – Teams & Rosters

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The GameDev industry has stopped growing. Despite strong top-line numbers — mobile ($96.2B), console ($52.4B), and PC ($40.4B) — studios are being stretched by rising production costs, gameplay fatigue, and shifting user expectations.  

The Global GameDev market is valued at $189.3B in 2025, signalling stabilization — not acceleration. In mature regions like the US and Europe, growth has stalled entirely. The industry is under pressure: studios are shutting down, layoffs are rising (Meta, Codemasters, Respawn, Nerial, NetEase Games and more), the old success formulas no longer work, and the post-pandemic boom is over.

Duamentes Gaming Report 2025 highlights the urgent need for change: player retention is broken, and most studios fail to understand what players actually want — and by the time they find out in beta, it’s too late to save the game or the business behind it, with examples including:

1. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (Rocksteady, 2024) launched to high expectations but faced poor reviews and rapid player drop-off, reportedly losing over $200 million before support was scaled back in early 2025.

1. Concord (Firewalk Studios, 2024) drew immediate criticism for lacking originality in a crowded hero shooter market, with doubts about its relevance even before launch.

1. XDefiant (Ubisoft, 2024) launched with promise but quickly declined due to balance issues and low retention, leading to its shutdown and studio closure in 2025.

“Studios keep building games players don’t want, delay testing, misread player behavior, and try to fix retention too late. We’re seeing the same mistakes repeated across platforms,” said Maria Amirkhanyan, Head of Gaming Division at Duamentes.  

Mind the Gap: Why Developers Are Losing Touch with Players 

Duamentes report combines global market trends with industry leaders’ in-depth interviews, surveys, and players’ behavioral insights — showing a clear gap between player expectations and developer workflows.

Players want meaning, not just mechanics — they want emotional clarity, narrative hooks, social features that foster belonging, and a genuine respect for their time, not manipulation.

“As short-form platforms like TikTok change how users discover games, the bar for first-session clarity has never been higher. Studios now compete not just with other games — but with every other moment of screen time,” said Maria Amirkhanyan, Head of Gaming Division at Duamentes.

Player challenges 

• 92% of players churn before Day 30
• 70% of players drop off within the first few sessions, often before the game has a chance to connect.
• 38% decide whether to quit during the very first session seeking emotional connection, social features, and immediate clarity.
• 60% of new mobile games launched in 5 crowded genres and most struggled to break through.
• 40% of games entering new regions fail due to cultural mismatches in UX, tone, or monetisation.

Industry & Studio Challenges 

• 71% of studios delay user testing until beta — but by then, it’s often too late to fix what matters.
• 49% of developers say unionisation is necessary to protect working conditions in an industry increasingly shaped by burnout and uncertainty.
• 40% of developers say their teams have been impacted by layoffs.
• 46% of developers work over 50 hours per week — up from 35% last year

Root causes of failed game releases  

The report points to a growing industry divide between those who adapt and those who don’t. As outlined, many studios still rely on practices that no longer serve them:

• “Build first, test later” leads to costly rework
• Relying on genre popularity over emotional engagement
• Live service overload without meaningful progression
• Ignoring cultural nuance during global launches
• Designing for metrics, not meaning

“In turbulent times, playtesting and user research are more important than ever for releasing games that players, critics, and investors love. Gaining early insight into the player experience helps identify problems while there’s still time to fix them, aligns teams around a shared vision of what’s being built, and clarifies development priorities — reducing costly rework and making production more predictable and less chaotic,” stated Steve Bromley, Games User Research Consultant, author of How To Be A Games User Researcher.

Indies Are Rising  

While many AAA studios struggle to innovate under mounting costs and conservative pipelines, indie studios are emerging as the creative engine of the industry. With players increasingly seeking smaller, emotionally resonant, and more affordable experiences, indies are filling a crucial gap.

“The quality and relevance of indie games will soar as more developers embrace independence and tools improve… Indie games will claim an all-time high share of top Metacritic titles, putting indie studios at the forefront of innovation,” said Amir Satvat, Game Industry Strategist & Founder of Amir Satvat’s Games Community.

Six Principles to Build High-Performing Games   

From the studios that succeed, the patterns are clear — and they’re embedded in the six principles outlined in Duamentes Gaming Report:

1. Test onboarding and narrative in early prototyping
2. Align UX, monetisation, and player emotion
3. Build modular systems to adapt faster
4. View player feedback as strategic input, not noise
5. Invest in junior talent pipelines, protecting creativity over time
6. Respect player time by replacing grind with clarity and purpose

These principles are the result of Duamentes in-depth research, cross-industry benchmarking, and firsthand analysis of what sets high-performing studios apart. As a strategic and product consulting firm operating across 40 countries and 20 industries for nearly a decade, Duamentes has been closely tracking market dynamics. While the industry tightens, the demand for deep, actionable expertise continues to grow.

“We already have that expertise, with a cross-industrial approach and extensive insight database, and now we’re strengthening it further by launching a dedicated Gaming Division, which we’re announcing at the AI & Games User Research conference,” said Maria Amirkhanyan.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has contacted more than a dozen traditional and digital media platforms, calling on them to stop promoting unregulated online gambling and sports betting sites like Bodog to Ontario residents.

Operated by Il Nido Inc., Bodog is an offshore operator actively targeting Ontarians by advertising on popular traditional and digital media platforms. Despite blocking players in Quebec and Nova Scotia from accessing their unregulated gambling and sports betting sites, Bodog continues to allow Ontarians to access these sites while advertising heavily on traditional and digital media platforms targeting Ontarians.

Under the Gaming Control Act, 1992, Bodog and other online gambling sites are required to register with the AGCO and sign an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario in order to operate in Ontario. Ontario’s regulated igaming framework requires operators to meet comprehensive requirements related to game integrity, player protection, anti-money laundering and information privacy. Bodog’s efforts to direct Ontarians to unregulated gambling undermine player protection and other safeguards which exist in the regulated market, as well as fair market principles.

By airing ads for Bodog and other unregulated operators, legitimate media platforms are providing a veneer of legitimacy to unregulated and high-risk sites and creating confusion for Ontarians. The AGCO is therefore calling on these platforms to take a stand against the promotion of unregulated online gambling sites and remove the ads. By doing so, broadcasters and digital media companies will help reduce the risks these sites pose to Ontarians and support the long-term sustainability of Ontario’s regulated igaming market – all key objectives of the AGCO.

The AGCO will continue to work with its partners – both in Ontario and internationally – to combat these unregulated sites and protect the public.

Quote

“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and ensuring they have the safest experience by playing on regulated igaming sites. By refusing to carry advertising from unregulated and high-risk operators like Bodog, media organizations can exemplify social responsibility and play an important role in protecting Ontarians and supporting Ontario’s regulated market.”  – Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, AGCO

Media Contact

AGCO Media
[email protected]