Samsung recently unveiled the third edition of its premier gaming tournament, the #PlayGalaxy Cup, featuring intense battles on their newly launched Galaxy S25 Ultra. This year, the event captivated over 300 million users, solidifying its status as a major esports spectacle.

The tournament saw 12 teams, consisting of 48 elite gamers, go head-to-head in Call of Duty Mobile, vying for the prestigious #PlayGalaxy Season 3.0 Cup. After four high-stakes matches, the team with the highest points emerged victorious.

“Samsung has always been at the forefront of bringing powerful devices that can handle demanding gameplay and with the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra, we’ve taken the entire experience a notch higher. With edition 3 of the #PlayGalaxy, we’ve also expanded our reach to 300 million users, up from 150 million users in the previous edition,” said Aditya Babbar, Vice President, MX Business, Samsung India.

In a thrilling and action-packed finale, Pune AI Heroes claimed the championship title, securing their place as the Season 3.0 winners. with Kaashvi emerging as the standout performer. Jaipur AI Warriors secured the first runner-up position, led by the skilled GamerFleet, while Delhi AI Legends claimed the second runner-up spot, with Techno Gamerz showcasing remarkable gameplay. The tournament highlighted the exceptional talent of India’s top gamers, making this season one of the most thrilling yet.

#PlayGalaxy Cup 3.0 also featured India’s top gaming talent, including Total Gaming, Techno Gamerz, Carry Minati, Gamerfleet, Mythpat, Triggered Insaan, Kaashvi, Desi Gamer, Sourav Joshi, SlayyPoint and SMR Gaming, Jonty Gaming, Gareeboooo, Tomboy from the Samsung #PlayGalaxy community.

NODWIN Gaming, a leading company in new-age youth entertainment, gaming, and esports and a material subsidiary of Nazara Technologies Limited (BSE: NAZARA), announces the full acquisition of StarLadder, a driving force in the global esports ecosystem. This acquisition will unite StarLadder’s capability of producing AAA events with NODWIN Gaming’s bold vision to redefine live entertainment for the youth. StarLadder will maintain its identity and the founder Roman Romantsov will continue to run the business while becoming a shareholder of NODWIN Gaming.

A Strategic Move to Accelerate Growth and Innovation

The acquisition comes at a time when NODWIN Gaming is expanding its footprint globally through its recent strategic moves of acquiring Comic Con India, influencer and MCN business Trinity Gaming, the agency business of AFK Gaming, the global esports and gaming marketing agency Freaks 4U Gaming based in Germany, West Asia and Turkey-focused marketing and esports agency Ninja Global, and Singapore-based live events firm Branded. The acquisition of StarLadder marks a significant step in NODWIN’s strategy to enhance AAA content and event offerings on a global level, catering to both emerging and developed markets, while creating synergies between the companies. 

What This Means for the Industry and Community

For StarLadder’s existing partners, this acquisition unlocks exciting new opportunities to expand their reach and connect with diverse communities worldwide. With access to NODWIN’s extensive network, StarLadder will be able to enter new markets, forge new strategic partnerships and strengthen its global presence.

Fans of the brand can look forward to an even bigger and bolder future, with new grand events on the horizon set to shake up the industry.

While the company will continue to operate with its core identity and creative spirit intact, Roman Romantsov will remain at the helm, ensuring continuity and authenticity in its vision. By joining NODWIN Gaming’s extensive network of industry-leading companies and experts, they will gain access to new resources, and new creative and distribution channels. This synergy will not only amplify overall impact but also create fresh collaborations and innovative content experiences for fans.

Akshat Rathee, Co-Founder of NODWIN Gaming, commented: “StarLadder and Roman are the superstars behind the Creme de la Creme events that esports fans have loved to see. Roman is considered one of the pioneers of esports event production with his deep insight in stage design, creative broadcast solutions and entrepreneurial energy. I have been a fan of his work for the longest time and cherish the opportunity to work and build NODWIN with one of my heroes. We have a vision of elevating and creating incredible community experiences, including more CS:GO tournaments for our amazing fans and partners and look forward to taking them to more emerging markets. We are so proud to welcome such an amazing brand and founder into the NODWIN Gaming family.”

The StarLadder team, led by Roman Romantsov, brings over two decades of expertise in esports event management, having organized some of the industry’s most prestigious tournaments. Their portfolio includes iconic events such as CS:GO and Dota 2 Majors, the PUBG Europe League, and long-running series like StarSeries – spanning 18 seasons for CS 1.6 and CS:GO, and 17 seasons for Dota 2. In addition to their own flagship events, they have successfully delivered white-label projects for major publishers, including Valve, Tencent, Krafton, Blizzard, Riot Games, Supercell, Com2us, Moonton, Smilegate, and many more.

Roman Romantsov, Founder of StarLadder, stated: “We live in an era of globalization, where the synergy of resources, expertise, and potential drives success and paves the way for future growth. We are thrilled to have found partners and like-minded individuals who share our vision and ambition. Together with NODWIN Gaming, StarLadder is committed to creating extraordinary experiences for fans, delivering unforgettable events across multiple games and regions. Stay tuned for what’s to come!”

The deal is valued at an initial consideration of USD 5.5 million (INR 46.75 crores) with a second part of the consideration payable on meeting the earn-out targets.

Here are this weeks latest slots releases compiled by European Gaming

BGaming invites players to roll back the years and turn up the heat with the all-new Hot Chilli Bells slot. The game combines the best-performing features of previous hits like the Wild from the Elvis Frog Series, the Expanding Wild from Fruit Million, and the ability to choose your paylines from the popular Burning Chilli X slot.

Kendoo, has launched its most feature-rich title to date with the release of jungle adventure slot Wild Cats Fire: Hold and Win. Set against an exotic jungle backdrop teeming with hidden treasures, the game delivers a visually stunning and immersive slot experience. Wild Cats Fire offers untamed excitement with 20 pay lines, a jackpot accumulation mechanic, and engaging features that keep players entertained with every spin.

Betsoft has released Fury Dragon – Hold & Win, a thrilling new video slot that brings the power and mystique of the East to life. This 5-reel, 3-row slot game immerses players in a fiery world of golden riches and fierce dragons, offering an exciting gameplay experience with every spin. Set against a backdrop of burnished gold and imperial red, Fury Dragon – Hold & Win invites players to seek the legendary Golden Dragon, whose fiery power can bring about incredible rewards.

El Gordo is dead—long live the slaughter. Nolimit City is back in the wild, wild west with Tombstone Slaughter, the latest chapter in the beloved Tombstone Universe a sequel to the wildly popular Tombstone R.I.P and Tombstone No Mercy. This one is slightly more special with its record breaking Max Win potential—the highest ever seen on a Nolimit City slot! This is yet another sequel that Nolimit City has decided to bless their fans with, following the release of xWays Hoarder 2 in 2025. And this is only the beginning..

As Chinese New Year approaches, Zillion Games is proud to present a selection of games that reflect the richness of this celebrated holiday: Golden Dragon Deluxe. Golden Dragon Deluxe invites you to meet the majestic Golden Dragon, a symbol of fortune and prosperity, in this thrilling slot with 25 win lines and a 95.25% RTP. Snow Dragon. Snow Dragon offers 25 paylines and three types of wild symbols, with thrilling features like Hold and Ring Mode, where respins lock valuable symbols for big rewards. During free spins, a giant shifting wild moves across the reels, activated by collecting 3 scatters in the base game!

Step into a land of magical thrills and captivating rewards in Mystic Multipliers, the latest slot game launch from Slammer Studios. Mystic Multipliers is packed full of Druid-enhanced slot game features including Cascading Reels, Free Spins and of course, enchanting Progressive Multipliers. This spell-binding slot invites players to explore a world of magic and mystery where eight or more matching symbols pay anywhere on the reels.

“Geilomat” is already available, an intentionally horrendous looking 5×4, 25 payline slot and the latest title from Hölle Games. A Geilomat (in German) is a machine that’s absolutely over the top bonkers, crazy, and yet somehow cool. It also must be completely tacky and very loud (colour and noisewise), so the Hölle team spent a lot of time making sure it looks appropriately awful- and they have really succeeded.

TaDa Gaming is rounding up the year with pots of gold and a wealth of wins in Money Pot. The feature loaded slot offers Scatters, Multipliers, Mystery Symbols, Jackpots and the Golden Lock & Respin feature, in a three reels, three rows, three fixed paylines release. Traditional Yuanbao ingots bring multipliers from 0.5x to 10x depending on their colour.

Booming Games are signing off the first month of the New Year in spectacular style, thanks to the launch of the brand spanking new slot: Jester Bells Bonanza. The latest arrival comes hot on the heels of this month’s Wild Wings of Phoenix Deluxe’s release, and the results are just as spectacular. Jester Bells Bonanza is a 6×5 game that pays anywhere, with plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

Gaming Corps is excited to announce the launch of the Gates of Hellfire slot. Prepare for a journey into the underworld’s darkest depths in a game, unlike any other slot on the market. The Gates of Hellfire slot uses a unique payment system, requiring players to defeat a sinister selection of demon enemies on the reels to secure wins, with a maximum prize of 5,000x the player’s stake up for grabs.

Scorching gameplay awaits in Blueprint Gaming’s latest instalment to its beloved game series, Cash Strike Hotstepper Megaways™, offering an array of mechanics further boosted by expanded reels, increasing the chance of lavish wins up to a fierce 50,000x the original bet. Returning to a classic 3×3 grid, a feast of fruit symbols adorn the matrix alongside iconic flaming gold coins, with each of the three reels showing up to five symbols at once and offering as many as 125 different wins per spin.

Red Rake Gaming presents Hawaiitopia, its new and exciting video slot that transports players to a tropical island full of excitement and wins. With innovative features, big multipliers and delightful fruits, Hawaiitopia provides a unique gaming experience. Thanks to its 7×7 format, Cascading Reels and Cluster Wins, each spin presents a chance to win. By lining up 5 or more consecutive identical symbols, either horizontally or vertically, players can land successive wins that gradually accumulate to make up the final win.

Right in time for the Season of Love, Amusnet is glad to unveil its newest Online Casino portfolio addition, Diamond Plus – Valentine’s Edition. The game offers a different perspective on one of the company’s most popular video slots, Diamond Plus. It will be available throughout the entire year, ready to bring some romance to everyone who needs it. The dazzling new game release combines a visually pleasing environment, enchanting ambient music, and a variety of vibrant symbols across the 5 reels and 10 fixed paylines.