Gaming

OptimiZEE’s web-based innovation marks its foray into gaming

Published

5 years ago

July 14, 2021

Mumbai: OptimiZEE, the social content hub at ZEE, has rolled out a first-of-its-kind endless front-runner game on the web, “Happu Ki Nikali Savaari” for ZEE show Happu Ki Ultan Paltan currently airing on &TV and streaming on ZEE5.

With a whopping 433 million gaming enthusiasts as of FY21, India stands as the second-largest country in the online gaming universe. Increasingly, brands too are leveraging the medium to further engage with their audience and build affinity. OptimiZEE’s launch of hypercasual games truly offers brands a chance to reach out to a highly engaged and invested audience, the platform said in a statement on Wednesday.

For gamers who crave an experience in vernacular languages, the device-agnostic game truly serves as the perfect platform to step into the shoes of their favourite TV character in a virtual world through a game that’s uncomplicated and exciting, it added.

“Our audience is continuously engaging with the compelling stories and their popular characters at Zee and this engagement is growing across screens and formats,” shared OptimiZEE, ZEE – head, Kartik Mahadev. “Gaming is one such format which has witnessed significant growth and is no longer limited to serious gamers alone. The OptimiZEE solutions team along with the content teams and the tech partners worked in quick time to develop this format to engage with fans of Happu. It required that we delved into the world of Happu to pick attributes that would suit the gaming format and give the fans an enjoyable gaming experience. The team chose a web-based solution for greater access to fans of the show. This is just the first of many solutions that we hope will delight our audience. It will create value for our customers as well as brands are looking for innovative ways to interact with consumers. Over the course of last year, casual gaming has truly made its way from the basement to the boardrooms. The solutions in the pipeline will offer brands in-game integrations to engage with the immersed audience.”

“The pot-bellied Daroga Happu Singh has made our viewers laugh like no other. His incredible comic timing, Kanpuria quirks, and dialect make him an audience favourite,” &TV – business head Vishnu Shankar said. “Given his mass appeal and with viewers who are always craving new opportunities to engage with their beloved television characters, launching ‘Happu Ki Nikali Savaari’, a hyper-casual game, was a natural step for us. The game will enable his fans to immerse themselves into a whole new exciting world of Happu Singh. We at &TV are extremely proud of the fact that Happu Singh is the first character across the ZEE Bouquet on whom a game has been developed.”

Yogesh Tripathi, who plays Daroga Happu Singh in “Happu Ki Ultan Paltan”, said, “You all have loved Daroga Happu Singh, his oil-slicked hair that perfectly twirls on his forehead, his goofy paan-stained grin that highlights his atypical moustache to his typical Kanpuria one-liners – Niyocchavar Kar Do, Arrey Dada, Gurde Chheel Denge. Now you have another reason to rejoice and get entertained at your fingertips. Happu Ki Ultan Paltan was a dream come true for me and now, to be immortalised in the form of a gaming character fills my heart with immense gratitude. I am sure our hypercasual game will add several moments of laughter and fun to fans’ lives. I hope our fans will shower the same love and affection to ‘Happu Ki Nikali Savaari’ as they have for ‘Happu Ki Ultan Paltan’ and keep enjoying both the show and play the game too.”

Poised to be the first in the series of web-based games, “Happu Ki Nikali Savaari” will be amplified across social media, on-air and digital platforms of &TV and ZEE5. As part of the promotions, fans are invited to participate in an exciting contest on social media platforms.

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Gaming

Checkmate Goes Digital as Chess Joins Esports Nations Cup 2026

From boards to bytes, chess readies for a nation-first showdown in Riyadh.

Published

1 week ago

February 9, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: When pawns meet power plays, the game changes. Chess, the world’s oldest mind sport, is officially stepping deeper into the digital arena after the Esports World Cup Foundation confirmed it as one of 16 titles at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026, set to unfold in Riyadh from 2 to 29 November.

For a game synonymous with quiet halls and ticking clocks, this is a bold move. Chess at ENC 2026 promises scale, spectacle and serious competition, fielding an unprecedented 128 players and opening the board to fresh talent and underrepresented nations as the sport’s esports evolution gathers pace.

The chess competition will run from November 2 to November 8, culminating in a playoff final. The opening phase features 128 players split into 16 round-robin groups of eight, with the top four from each group advancing.

That leaves 64 players battling it out in a single-elimination playoff bracket. Early rounds will be best-of-two, while the quarterfinals onward step up to best-of-four encounters. Deadlocks will be settled via Armageddon tie-breakers, and all matches will be played in a Rapid 10+0 format, designed for speed, tension and drama.

National pride is front and centre. Of the 128 slots, 64 players will receive direct invitations based on Champions Chess Tour rankings, limited to one per nation. Another 56 players will qualify through regional online qualifiers, while eight wildcard spots round out the field.

Qualifiers will be hosted by Chess.com across seven regions, including Middle East + India + Central Asia, with two qualifier windows in June 2026. Each country can field a maximum of two players, ensuring both depth and diversity across the draw.

Chess already tasted esports stardom at the 2025 Esports World Cup, where 20 nations were represented and the intensity surprised even purists. The event ended with Magnus Carlsen lifting the title for Team Liquid, sealing chess’s credentials as a natural fit for high-stakes digital competition.

India’s top-ranked player Arjun Erigaisi called the experience “unlike any chess tournament I’ve played before”, adding that the energy of the esports stage is drawing new audiences into the game.

For commentators and fans alike, the shift to a nation-based format raises the stakes. Chessbase India co-founder Sagar Shah likened the moment to the excitement of the Chess Olympiad, while grandmaster and broadcaster Tania Sachdev said the national format adds “pride, pressure and passion” that pulls viewers in deeper.

From silent calculation to roaring crowds, chess at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 is less about moving pieces and more about moving perceptions. Checkmate, it seems, has gone fully digital.

Gaming

Road to EWC unites 230 tournaments worldwide ahead of Esports World Cup 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

February 5, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

RIYADH: The Esports World Cup Foundation has launched Road to EWC, a worldwide qualification programme for the Esports World Cup 2026, stitching together more than 230 tournaments across major esports regions into a single global competitive season.

Running from grassroots qualifiers to elite international leagues, the initiative creates a unified pathway for players and clubs to reach the Esports World Cup finals in Riyadh from 6 July to 23 August, 2026. The season integrates publisher-led ecosystems and major circuits into one calendar, offering year-round visibility for fans and structured progression for competitors.

“Road to EWC brings together the journeys that shape competitive esports,” said Esports World Cup Foundation chief product officer Faisal Bin Homran. “It gives players, clubs, publishers and fans a defined season to plan around, building a sustainable and global competitive ecosystem.”

The qualification network spans leading events including the Apex Legends Global Series, Capcom Cup, Chess.com Global Championship, EVO, Free Fire World Series, EA Sports FC Pro, Pubg Global Series, Rocket League Championship Series, Overwatch Champions Series, Tekken World Tour Finals, and official circuits for Call of Duty, League of Legends, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege, Trackmania and Valorant.

Open online qualifiers will also run for titles such as Dota 2, Teamfight Tactics, Call of Duty: Warzone and Chess, widening access for emerging talent.

In 2025, more than 2,500 players from over 100 countries qualified through the Road to EWC programme. Highlights included 15-year-old Free Fire player Rasyah Rasyid becoming the youngest champion in event history, EA FC star Manuel Bachoore claiming gold, and Street Fighter icon Zeng “Xiao Hai” Zhuojun securing another major title. Team Falcons captured their second club championship following a dramatic Overwatch 2 victory.

A dedicated Road to EWC hub will track qualification events, schedules and viewing options throughout the season. Ticket sales for the Esports World Cup 2026 are now live, with international partners across the US, Europe, Middle East, India and China.

The Esports World Cup returns to Riyadh next summer, bringing together the world’s top clubs across multiple game titles to compete for the largest prize pool in esports history.

Gaming

Nintendo shares slide 10 per cent despite profit jump, hit by chip shortages

Published

2 weeks ago

February 4, 2026

indiantelevision.com Team

KYOTO: Nintendo shares slid more than 10 per cent on Wednesday, a day after the gaming giant missed market forecasts for quarterly revenue and warned of mounting pressure from a global memory chip shortage, as per media reports.

The company beat profit expectations, posting a 24 per cent year-on-year rise, driven by strong sales of the Nintendo Switch franchise. Revenue surged 86 per cent, with the original Switch now the firm’s best-selling console since its launch in 2017.

Yet rising component costs are weighing on investor sentiment. Nintendo relies heavily on dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a segment grappling with acute shortages as artificial intelligence and data centre demand soak up supply.

Ortus Advisors head of Japanese equity strategy Andrew Jackson, said markets remain uneasy about the impact of higher memory prices on Nintendo’s margins.

President Shuntaro Furukawa acknowledged that while soaring memory costs have not yet dented results for the current financial year, prolonged price pressures could squeeze profitability.

TrendForce estimates that contract prices for conventional Dram chips in the first quarter could jump between 90 and 95 per cent from the previous quarter. A senior semiconductor industry executive recently told CNBC the shortage may last until 2027.

Kantan Games chief executive of consultancy Serkan Toto, said sustained cost inflation could force Nintendo to raise console prices: a risky move for its largely casual user base.

The company’s newest device, Switch 2, launched in June last year and already dominates its console sales mix. But analysts warn that momentum in the first year is critical for any new platform.

Concerns persist over whether Switch 2 can match the runaway success of its predecessor, despite Nintendo holding firm on its full-year sales forecast.

The outlook hinges on upcoming blockbuster releases, including Mario Tennis Fever in February and Pokémon Pokopia in March. Nintendo is also banking on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, due in April, to replicate the sales boost sparked by its 2023 hit film.

Omdia senior analyst James McWhirter, said 2026 would be a “make-or-break” year as Nintendo seeks broader mass-market appeal for Switch 2.

Nintendo shares are down more than 15 per cent so far this year.