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Category: Gaming

  • ZEE5 ups engagement level with gamification feature for fiction TV shows

    ZEE5 ups engagement level with gamification feature for fiction TV shows

    MUMBAI: Gamification is gradually taking up more space in different areas of digital entertainment but it has pertained to largely sports content or non-fiction shows in India. Taking it one step ahead, ZEE5 recently announced the launch of ZEE5 Super Family (ZSF) to provide consumers with a gaming experience for fiction TV shows as well. However, currently, the experience will be limited to Zee TV shows.

    “We believe in the power of gamification as from a consumer perspective it helps drive engagement. And so far on our own platform we have done gamification for non-fiction shows and you would have heard gamification happening across other mediums also for non fictions shows. Zee Super Family League is a very innovative concept,” ZEE5 India head AVOD, SEO, news and stories Yogesh Manwani said.

    “The viewers have a deep relationship with these TV characters and ZSF helps them express this fan love and take it to the next level in a fun and engaging manner. So it’s an attempt for us and we are very proud of the product as it is turning out,” he added.

    ZSF will allow viewers to take a pick of their favourite on-screen characters across TV shows and curate their own Super Family. With roles such as saas, bahu, beta, dost, etc., to fill in, players can place bets on how the chosen characters will act out in the day’s TV episode and stand to win gratifications such as a car, smartphones, gift vouchers and ZEE5 subscriptions in case their predictions come true.

    “We have been doing gamification on the platform for shows like Dadagiri, DID, Movie Masti with Maniesh Paul. Consumers like to engage and interact with these kind of solutions because it also is in a way an extension of the show property. We have seen some great numbers in terms of reach and our page views. Basis that we got encouraged and thought we should amplify our game application and ZSL is an attempt in that direction,” Manwani noted.

    ZSF will include detailed easy-to-understand video tutorials that will assist viewers in playing the game and excel it to earn higher scores. The game also allows viewers to modify their family characters to improve scores and move ahead in the game. ZEE5 will be conducting an intriguing marketing campaign involving artists to encourage viewers participation and gratify first 50 viewers who submit their families with bonus prizes.

    Although the platform has designed the concept and the product keeping only the consumer in mind, the property allows advertisers to come on board also and reach out to their audience.

  • Nazara Technologies, Delta Corp to invest Rs 40 cr in HalaPlay

    Nazara Technologies, Delta Corp to invest Rs 40 cr in HalaPlay

    MUMBAI: Nazara Technologies Ltd and Delta Corp Ltd, which is India based casino gaming company, together will invest Rs 40 crore as part of Series-A funding round in an online daily fantasy sports platform, HalaPlay.

    HalaPlay, launched in 2017, has seen an explosive growth in the user base and total transactions since then. It has in the past received investment from Nazara Technologies, Kae Capital, Angel List and other angel investors. The company has seen 10x user growth in the last 12 months and will exponentially grow with over 1 crore active players to play in upcoming cricket season.

    Halaplay CEO Swapnil Saurav said, “Getting funding support from two of India’s largest gaming companies instills faith in us as a team taking us a notch higher in the Indian fantasy sports arena. Fantasy sports has been on the rise with the market being estimated to be $1 billion currently and is expected to go up to $5 billion in the next two years and hence this boost could not have come at a better time ensuring and enabling our growth along with.”

    Nazara Technologies Ltd CEO Manish Agarwal said, “Nazara invested in HalaPlay in 2017 and we continue to be excited about the growth story of HalaPlay. We are confident that Halaplay with this fresh round of funds will ride the explosive growth of fantasy sports in India.”

    Nazara has been actively pursuing opportunities in the interactive sports vertical categories and has invested in mobile gaming companies like Mastermind Sports Limited and Moonglabs Technologies Pvt Ltd apart from HalaPlay Technologies Pvt Ltd. Nazara has also taken a majority stake in Next Wave Multimedia Private Limited and Nodwin Gaming Pvt Ltd in the e sports arena in addition to recent investments in CrimzonCode and NZWorld (NZWorld Kenya Limited) to set up operations of real money gaming in Kenya.

    Delta Corp MD Ashish Kapadia said, “Delta believes in the HalaPlay team and their ability to innovate in the daily fantasy sports industry. Their viral growth is proof that they have been able to build a differentiated product that users love. We are excited by their potential, and are confident that this round of funding will help propel them to even greater heights.”

  • Hasbro, HBO join forces to introduce Monopoly: Game of Thrones

    Hasbro, HBO join forces to introduce Monopoly: Game of Thrones

    MUMBAI: Hasbro and HBO have joined forces for the launch of an all new edition of MONOPOLY: GAME OF THRONES. Inspired by the network’s popular series GAME OF THRONES, MONOPOLY: GAME OF THRONES has been launched which incorporates features from the show such as customized tokens, iconic properties and graphics within the game board.

    The MONOPOLY GAME OF THRONES Edition will also feature an Iron Throne card holder that plays the iconic theme song throughout gameplay. This is the first time ever that a music component has been incorporated into a Monopoly Board.

    With game tokens inspired by the honorary sigils of the Great Houses, MONOPOLY and GAME OF THRONES fans can set sail to Westeros. Players will travel around the board to buy, sell, and trade iconic locations from the Seven Kingdoms, building castles and holdfasts in their pursuit to rule the Iron Throne.

    “As the last season of the American fantasy drama show is set to air in April, we are excited to announce the launch of MONOPOLY: GAME OF THRONES edition in the country. From the board to tokens to the money, the entire setting and concept has been adapted from the show thus ensuring it transports the players into the world of Westeros through their favorite board game”, said  Bhavesh Somaya, Country Head, Hasbro India LLP

    The MONOPOLY: GAME OF THRONES Edition game is designed for fans aged 18 years and above. Priced at Rs 2999/-, it will be available at top retailers nationwide and on Amazon.in from March 2019.

    MONOPOLY is the world’s favorite family game brand and is enjoyed by more than 1 billion players in 114 countries across the globe. Fans can engage with the MONOPOLY brand across many platforms and formats world over including live events, fashion licensing, digital gaming, casino gambling, and more. Stay updated on the latest MONOPOLY brand news at Monopoly.com, Facebook.com/Monopoly, @HasbroNews on Twitter, and @Hasbro on Instagram. For more information on Hasbro gaming products visit, www.amazon.in/Hasbro.

  • Reliance Entertainment names Shibasish Sarkar as group CEO-content, digital and gaming

    Reliance Entertainment names Shibasish Sarkar as group CEO-content, digital and gaming

    MUMBAI: Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Entertainment has announced the elevation of Shibasish Sarkar as group CEO – content, digital and gaming.

    Sarkar is a chartered accountant by training and entertainment industry professional with over 25 years of experience. He joined Reliance Entertainment in 2007 as CFO and thereafter took on a larger role as COO, developing tremendous operational and financial experience across films and TV production and distribution, digital content, gaming, etc.

    He has played a pivotal role in establishing and managing the company’s industry acknowledged joint venture business model with leading creative filmmakers, including Rohit Shetty, Imtiaz Ali, Neeraj Pandey, S Shashikant, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Madhu Mantena amongst others. In addition, he has led the company’s plans to address the growing demand for television, digital and animation content, delivering world-class originals to GEC and OTT platforms. 

    In 2018, he led the highly successful process on behalf of Reliance Entertainment for listing its UK-based gaming company, Codemasters, on the London Stock Exchange.

    Reliance Entertainment vice chairman Amitabh Jhunjhunwala said, “Shibasish has been the backbone of our leadership team for over a decade, and has demonstrated excellent organisational capabilities in establishing and scaling up new business operations. We are confident he will lead the company to new heights in the exciting entertainment landscape of the future.”

    Speaking about his elevation, Sarkar stated, “I am deeply honoured with the trust and confidence reposed in me, and I take this opportunity to thank my extraordinary team, and all partners and associates who have helped build a robust organisation. Our goal will continually be to bring entertainment and joy to global audiences across multiple platforms, thereby building great value for all stakeholders.”

  • Esports industry expected to reach $3 bn by 2021

    Esports industry expected to reach $3 bn by 2021

    MUMBAI: When everything is going online, what’s there to stop sports? With improved internet speed, smartphone penetration, government digital push and highest youth population, Esports in India has the right territory for growth.

    In the third edition of Times of India Global Sports Show (GSS) 2018, industry experts came together to discuss about “Unlocking potential: The eSports revolution in India”.

    The state of esports industry over the next three to five years is estimated to grow by 5.3 per cent in Asia and 9.4 per cent in Middle East and Africa (ME&A) according to PwC Sports Survey 2018.

    Esports is a subculture that is just growing. It is the sport of the new generation. In India, it is played on multiple platforms like Voot, Hotstar, Youtube and Twitch.

    Tencent GM Aneesh Arvind said, “Once you have a large enough mass in a region or a country then I would think it’s a matter of time to really become big. The three things we can do from our side to make it really popular are the infrastructure, devices and data where people can play and watch others play.

    The recent sensational game made by Tencent Games is PlayerUnknown’s Battleground’s (PUBG) Mobile, which has crossed 100 million downloads.

    “We have such a large player base in India that all the assumptions we used to have in the gaming industry doesn’t hold true anymore. We have built the game and the ecosystem around it by doing TV commercials, advertisement in different media, got influencers on board,” Arvind added.

    U Sports AVP-brands and partnerships Tushaar Garg said that esports was the first they spotted when they looked for new investment. “The first season of UCypher was to create awareness and created a docu-drama series format. We looked at two thing that is the big massive fan base in terms of demographics as we have a very young population below the age of 35 and biggest smartphone market after the US. We took the most popular title like DOTA, Tekken and Counter-Strike.”

    “We packaged UCypher in such a way that the actual user gets tri-fold offering i.e., career, content and community and with that, we also looked at how we can mass-ify it,” Garg added.

    Esports for the first time became a part of a major sporting event in 2018 Asian Games Jakarta as a demonstration sports. This was announced by Asian Esports Federation (AESF). 10 Indian gamers qualified for the event.

    According to Tencent, Esports is a video game, which is played competitively with rewards attached to it and an ecosystem where people are ready to watch that.

    Nodwin Gaming MD Akshat Rathee asked the panel whether it a monetisation time or a growth time for esports in India to which Garg said, “I think for us it is an investment time. As a company which is building IPs we are very clear that for the next 3-5 year time frame we have to invest in the fan base, create the infrastructure getting the right stakeholder and the right federations.”

    According to UK-based Juniper Research, the advertising spend will dominate in terms of revenue and spend (accounting for 50 per cent in 2022).

    In 2018, the market size of esports is supposed to be $900 million and in 2021 it is likely to reach $3 billion. “We as the esports industry are trying to figure out ways in which we can grow and models of monetisation,” Arvind added.

    “We are the only sport in the world which is not run by the federation because the publisher owns the trademark of the game,” Rathee concluded.

  • Dream11 gets funding of Rs 719 crore from Tencent Holdings

    Dream11 gets funding of Rs 719 crore from Tencent Holdings

    MUMBAI: Chinese social media and gaming giant Tencent Holdings has invested $100 million (around INR 719 crore) in Mumbai-based Dream 11 Fantasy according to VCCircle.

    Dream11 had been in advanced stages of discussion with Tencent about raising funds from the Chinese behemoth since April 2018. Further, media reports at the time had also indicated that Tencent may invest close to $100 million in Dream11 at a pre-money valuation of around $400-500 million.

    It has also been reported that Tencent has been planning to invest close to $200 million in gaming ventures in India. The Chinese firm has also, in the past, held talks with two social gaming companies – Octro and MoonFrog Labs for potential acquisition or investment opportunities.

    The report in VCCircle quotes an unnamed executive of Dream11 confirming that the transaction with Tencent Holdings has been completed.

    In March 2018, the company roped in cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as brand ambassador and signed a deal with Star India to be the associate sponsor of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), a twenty-twenty cricket tournament.

    According to the company’s spokesperson, Dream11 has around 41 million users and is set to grow to 100 million users by 2019. “Our goal is to create awareness around fantasy sport in the country and keep getting more of India’s 800 million sport fans to play fantasy sport on Dream11,” the spokesperson added.

    The investment deal by Tencent is the biggest transaction in the India gaming industry and makes Dream11 the most expensive and highly valued online gaming company in the country.

  • Stan Lee’s superhero mobile game released by Gamesbond-underDOGS, Graphic India & POW!

    Stan Lee’s superhero mobile game released by Gamesbond-underDOGS, Graphic India & POW!

    MUMBAI: India’s leading mobile game distribution and publishing house, Gamesbond, released its latest mobile game “Chakra: World Siege” in partnership with Graphic India and POW! Entertainment, the IP licensors for one of India’s leading superhero characters, “Chakra The Invincible.”

    Gamesbond’s development partner for the game is the studio, underDOGS.

    Chakra: World Siege is currently available for free on the Google Play store and was featured as one of the top games in their “New and Updated” section. “Chakra: World Siege” has been launched globally with a focus on targeting the Indian audience.

    The game is based on the animation and comic book character “Chakra: The Invincible” created by superhero icon, Stan Lee and Sharad Devarajan. Lee is the legendary co-creator of the world’s most popular superheroes including Spider-Man™, X-Men™, Fantastic Four™, Iron Man™, Hulk™, The Avengers™, and more.

    Stan Lee, brimming with enthusiasm added, “Against the spectacular backdrop of the great Indian metropolis of Mumbai, we tell the incredible saga of Chakra, one of my most exciting superhero creations, whose adventures will captivate audiences around the world.”

    Chakra: World Siege involves the user playing as Chakra in a challenging quest to save the world from his long-time nemesis, the evil Boss Yama. The game is an action-packed running game that takes you on a journey through the Seven Wonders of the World to ensure their safety. As Chakra, players must jump and dodge various obstacles and unlock their “chakras,” to gain special powers and superhero moves needed to save the world.

    “Stan Lee’s characters have generated $15 billion at the global box office, creating some of the most beloved icons in entertainment. More people today likely know the face of Spider-Man than they do the Mona Lisa,” added Graphic India CEO Sharad Devarajan. “I have no doubt this will be the first of many new games for our Indian superhero as we grow Chakra to become a successful gaming franchise in the future. Gamesbond and underDOGS have been amazing partners and creative collaborators to help us bring this game to audiences worldwide.”

    The Chakra: World Siege game launch coincided with the airing of the third Chakra-The Invincible animated TV film, “Chakra: The Mystery of Mighty Girl” which premiered on Cartoon Network. The Indian superhero character is also in development as a theatrical live action Bollywood film, to be directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Vikramaditya Motwane and produced by Phantom Films, POW! Entertainment and Graphic India.

    “We are excited with our collaboration with Graphic India and underDOGS studio for the Chakra game and the instant success it has seen will help us strengthening our collaboration towards investing more in the partnership. The Chakra franchise is quite popular among kids and the game is designed in a way that even a 5 year old kid will be able to understand, play and stay engaged”, says Mauj Mobile VP – products Anshul Singhal.

    Talking about their plans he added, “We believe that with our understanding of the gaming consumers and distribution strengths; we are the ideal publishing partners for local IP owners and game developers towards creating and sustaining a successful game for the Indian users”

  • Nazara Games to invest $20 million in eSports, league planned

    Nazara Games to invest $20 million in eSports, league planned

    With the advent of higher internet speeds coming into play and India making a digital push, industry biggies are betting that 2017 will be the game changer for eSports and are making large investments. What’s luring them is the fast expanding $892 million eSports global market and the fact that 2016 saw over Rs 75 lakh being plonked down in prize money in India.

    Amongst the first to announce its intentions was serial media investor Ronnie Screwval’s Usports which rolled out UCypher, a Rs. 100 crore eSports tournament. Now another mega player in the game publishing space, the Rs 220 crore Nazara Games, has unveiled a plan to invest around $20 million over the next few years. Included in this is its own eSports league.

    To read more click here
    http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/nazara-games-to-invest-20-million-in-esports-league-planned

  • New iGameLeague allows advertisers to sponsor individual players

    New iGameLeague allows advertisers to sponsor individual players

    MUMBAI: iGameLeague – a platform through which mobile games for all age groups can be played offline or online professionally anytime and anywhere, aims at revolutionizing the industry as it allows advertisers to become sponsors of individual players.

    The platform has been created by four experts – serial entrepreneur Devesh Gupta, sales and marketing maverick Nilesh Thakkar, animation and VFX industry veteran Susanta Dutta and Nishith Maheshwari. “IGameLeague is first and sole professional mobile gaming platform in India. How YouTube is a platform for video the same we are for gaming industry with monopoly,” said co-founder NIlesh Thakkar.

    “Apart from print, TV, outdoor, radio and online, IGameLeage will add as yet another medium for advertising, where users not only play and win cash, the media partners and advertiser also reach their target audience,” Thakkar shared, adding, “Being a sole platform, brands like Citrus will give our users Rs 50 per players as sponsors. So we bring ready advertiser with us.”

    As per Thakkar, the startup is already valued at Rs 70 crore after investment from venture capitals.

    Bringing alive the idea of ‘Play Mobile games –Win Real Cash’, the platform has more than 20 popular mobile games on the platform. With a very simple and easy to use interface, players can download, register and start winning cash from their favourite games.

    After testing the waters through a beta launch in Mumbai where more than 2300 students from 18 top colleges including HR, Nationals, Thakur, KJ Somaiya, etc participated,  iGL is in the process of doing a massive national launch of the platform through Brand, Media and Celebrity partnerships.

    Various business houses have evinced interest in buying the territorial rights of various regions of the platform.

    Since it has brought to the fore a completely new age medium for mass engagement, it is expected to be lapped up by the Smartphone and IT industry. 

  • New iGameLeague allows advertisers to sponsor individual players

    New iGameLeague allows advertisers to sponsor individual players

    MUMBAI: iGameLeague – a platform through which mobile games for all age groups can be played offline or online professionally anytime and anywhere, aims at revolutionizing the industry as it allows advertisers to become sponsors of individual players.

    The platform has been created by four experts – serial entrepreneur Devesh Gupta, sales and marketing maverick Nilesh Thakkar, animation and VFX industry veteran Susanta Dutta and Nishith Maheshwari. “IGameLeague is first and sole professional mobile gaming platform in India. How YouTube is a platform for video the same we are for gaming industry with monopoly,” said co-founder NIlesh Thakkar.

    “Apart from print, TV, outdoor, radio and online, IGameLeage will add as yet another medium for advertising, where users not only play and win cash, the media partners and advertiser also reach their target audience,” Thakkar shared, adding, “Being a sole platform, brands like Citrus will give our users Rs 50 per players as sponsors. So we bring ready advertiser with us.”

    As per Thakkar, the startup is already valued at Rs 70 crore after investment from venture capitals.

    Bringing alive the idea of ‘Play Mobile games –Win Real Cash’, the platform has more than 20 popular mobile games on the platform. With a very simple and easy to use interface, players can download, register and start winning cash from their favourite games.

    After testing the waters through a beta launch in Mumbai where more than 2300 students from 18 top colleges including HR, Nationals, Thakur, KJ Somaiya, etc participated,  iGL is in the process of doing a massive national launch of the platform through Brand, Media and Celebrity partnerships.

    Various business houses have evinced interest in buying the territorial rights of various regions of the platform.

    Since it has brought to the fore a completely new age medium for mass engagement, it is expected to be lapped up by the Smartphone and IT industry.