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Tag: Nitish Mittersain

  • Nazara’s Fusebox drops Big Brother bombshell in mobile gaming world

    Nazara’s Fusebox drops Big Brother bombshell in mobile gaming world

    MUMBAI:  India’s Nazara Technologies has tossed a juicy twist into the global gaming arena. Its UK-based subsidiary, Fusebox Games, has teamed up with Banijay Rights to launch Big Brother: The Game, bringing the drama, deceit and diary room straight to your smartphone.

    This mobile game isn’t just another tap-and-swipe time-killer. It’s a choose-your-own-chaos simulator where players enter the infamous Big Brother house, craft their own characters, form alliances, win challenges — and yes, face the agony of eviction. Think Love Island meets Survivor meets screen-time addiction.

    Fusebox CEO Terry Lee said: “We’re incredibly excited to bring Big Brother: The Game to players around the
    world. This is more than just a mobile game — it’s a reality show experience where players shape the drama, form alliances, and fight for survival in the Big Brother house. The global appeal of the Big Brother franchise, combined with our interactive storytelling expertise, makes this a truly unique release.”

    Nazara CEO Nitish Mittersain added: “Fusebox Games has demonstrated exceptional creativity and innovation in bringing popular IPs to the interactive gaming space. The launch of Big Brother: The Game aligns with our vision to expand globally and deliver engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. We are proud to support Fusebox in this exciting endeavor. “

    For Banijay, it’s yet another digital reboot of a format that’s still raking in eyeballs after 600 series across 70 countries.

    “Big Brother has captured the hearts of millions of viewers worldwide. Our partnership with Fusebox Games opens exciting new possibilities, creating immersive ways for fans to engage with this iconic brand. We look forward to seeing players around the world experience the drama, strategy, and excitement of the Big Brother house in a whole new way,”  said Banijay Rights svp of gaming Mark Woollard. 

    Available on iOS and Android, the game builds on Fusebox’s hit-making streak, which includes the Love Island game that previously ruled the app charts. With custom narratives and dynamic characters, Big Brother: The Game is designed to stir drama across demographics.

    One of the world’s most iconic and successful reality television franchises, Big Brother first hit screens 25 years ago in the Netherlands in 1999. Since its debut, over 600 series of the show have aired around the world in 70 markets. Globally, the format has maintained huge popularity and is one of Banijay Entertainment’s top three formats, airing in 28 territories last year. The format continues to make a splash globally, with prime-time success in the UK, Spain and Brazil, long-running versions airing consistently in the US and Italy since 2000, six regional versions each year in India, and a new adaptation in Malta. Big Brother is a Banijay Entertainment format.

    For Nazara, which acquired Fusebox in 2024, it’s one more power play in a global gaming push that’s anything but subtle. The message is clear: if the world’s watching, Nazara’s building.

  • Nazara goes full throttle, bags Curve Games in Rs 247 crore console conquest

    Nazara goes full throttle, bags Curve Games in Rs 247 crore console conquest

    MUMBAI: Nazara Technologies has fired its latest acquisition shot — and this time, it’s hit the UK. The homegrown gaming giant has snapped up 100 per cent of Curve Games, a renowned UK-based publisher of PC and console titles, in a Rs 247 crore (GBP 21.7 million) all-cash deal.

    The move turbocharges Nazara’s foray into the $100 billion global PC and console market, unlocking fresh access to new platforms, geographies, and genres. Curve, best known for indie blockbusters like Human Fall Flat, Bomber Crew, and The Ascent, has racked up more than 100 million downloads globally — and a tidy revenue of Rs 263.5 crore in calendar 2024.

    “This acquisition strengthens our ability to work with developers globally — and over time, also creates a pathway for Indian game developers to bring their games to global audiences across PC and console platforms. It aligns with our broader vision to contribute to India’s growing role in the global gaming ecosystem, echoing the emphasis from India’s leadership on making the country a hub for digital and creative industries.,” said Nazara chief executive Nitish Mittersain. 

    Curve posted an EBITDA of Rs 114.4 crore and a PBT of Rs 49.6 crore last year, making it a lucrative addition to Nazara’s already eclectic portfolio, which includes Kiddopia, Animal Jam, Sportskeeda, and World Cricket Championship.

    Curve’s executive chairman Stuart Dinsey was equally upbeat: “”Joining the Nazara family is an exciting new chapter for Curve. Nazara’s ecosystem, access to emerging markets and long-term orientation make them a strong strategic partner. We are aligned in our vision of building a leading global indie publishing platform, and we look forward to the next phase of growth together.”

    For Nazara, this isn’t just another acquisition — it’s a checkpoint cleared in its quest to become a truly global gaming force, one IP at a time. Game on.

  • Kofluence secures investment from Nazara Technologies for influencer driven game discovery platform

    Kofluence secures investment from Nazara Technologies for influencer driven game discovery platform

    Mumbai: Kofluence, the leading Social Media Influencer marketing tech platform in India announced a pivotal development in its growth trajectory as the board of Nazara Technologies Limited has officially sanctioned the acquisition of a 10.77 per cent stake in Kofluence.

    As part of the share swap transaction, Nazara Technologies will issue 3,71,637 equity shares at a price of Rs 872.15/- per equity share, amounting to Rs 32,41,23,210 through a preferential issue on a private placement basis to the sellers.

    Kofluence has established itself as India’s premier Social Media Influencer led marketing-tech platform, boasting a vibrant community of across platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The platform represents over 20 languages and operates as a full stack marketing platform, delivering performance metrics across the entire customer journey.

    The collaboration between Kofluence and Nazara Technologies is geared towards the launch of an influencer-driven game discovery platform and community. This pioneering initiative aims to leverage the vast network of influencers on Kofluence to promote Nazara’s games across various social media platforms. Influencers with their ability to tailor content to their audience’s preferences, will generate excitement around new releases, boosting downloads and increasing visibility for Nazara’s gaming portfolio.

    Nazara Technologies Jt. MD & CEO Nitish Mittersain expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “Kofluence is pioneering creator economy led platforms and Sreeram’s extensive gaming experience is invaluable to create a pioneering influencer led game discovery platform and community. Our goal is to create an environment where gaming collaborates with the creativity of influencers, enriching the gaming experience for a global audience. Our new game publishing initiative ‘Nazara Publishing’ will particularly benefit from this new initiative”.

    Kofluence co-founder, and CEO Sreeram Reddy Vanga, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, stating, “Nazara’s investment is a powerful validation of our joint mission to revolutionise the gaming industry. With our extensive network of creators, we’re well-positioned to greatly enhance the visibility and engagement of Nazara’s gaming portfolio. This partnership is not only expanding Nazara’s game reach but also reshaping game marketing dynamics, bringing every creator and user into an expansive and captivating gaming narrative.”

    Kofluence co-founder Ritesh Ujjwal emphasised, “This strategic collaboration marks a pivotal moment in Kofluence’s journey. The gaming industry is swiftly asserting dominance in the handheld technology entertainment business sector, displaying relentless momentum. Moreover, with the surge of gaming influencers, brands have a unique opportunity to forge partnerships and connect with their dedicated followers. We are enthusiastic about the limitless possibilities that unfold as we seamlessly integrate influencer marketing and gaming innovation with Nazara Technologies.

     

  • Nazara acquires majority in ad tech company Datawrkz

    Nazara acquires majority in ad tech company Datawrkz

    Mumbai: Sports media company Nazara Technologies has entered an agreement to acquire 55 per cent stake in programmatic advertising and monetisation company Datawrkz valuing the company at Rs 255 crore (~$30 million) linked to CY 22 EBITDA performance.

    “Datawrkz tech offerings will enhance in-house capabilities of Nazara for optimising its customer acquisition spends as well as enhance yields on ad monetisation of its large consumer base,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. “The ad revenue monetisation is expected to assist many of the companies in the ‘Friends of Nazara’ network.”

    Nazara will acquire 33 per cent stake (Rs 60 crore payable of which Rs 35 crore is partly payable in cash and the balance consideration of Rs 25 crore will be paid either in cash or swap of shares) in the first tranche by 22 April. Nazara has reserved an option to acquire an additional 22 per cent in the second tranche that is expected to close in Q4 FY23.

    “We, at Nazara, are looking to build strong gaming ad tech offerings globally with the partnership with Datawrkz,” said Nazara Technologies CEO Manish Agarwal. “We strongly believe that growth of gaming-focused ad tech will be exponential in the coming decade across geographies with the growth of gamers and game publishers across freemium, web 3.0 and skill-based real money gaming.”

    He further added, “Ad tech companies with deep data processing capabilities and first-party data ownership will emerge as winners in gaming-focused ad tech and will help Datawrkz to create value for itself as well as for Nazara shareholders.”

    Datawrkz was founded in 2013 by IIM Ahmedabad alumnus Senthil Govindan and is a global advertising technology firm focused on accelerating user and revenue growth for clients through highly optimised digital advertising. It has offices in the US, Singapore, and India and functions as an independent trading desk to power digital media strategy, planning and execution.

    Datawrkz’s self-service product suite for advertisers – Vizibl includes a demand-side platform as well as a customer data platform. On the supply side, Datawrkz generates revenue for publishers through AdPrimus, its supply-side product that drives user engagement, mediates between demand sources and enables audience segmentation.

    For the calendar year 2021, Datawrkz posted combined revenue of Rs 90.7 crore (~$12.1 million) and EBIDTA margin of 12 per cent with around 70 per cent of its revenue coming from the US as per CY 2021 unaudited financial statements.

    “We had started this company with a vision to disrupt the digital advertising space,” said Datawrkz founder Senthil Govindan. “Datawrkz was already on a fast track to achieve our objective with rapid growth and satisfied clients around the world. Through our partnership with Nazara, I see our pace accelerating further. While Datawrkz will be able to immediately bring our natural strengths to bear within the existing Nazara fold, this also gives both sides a tremendous opportunity to build global advertising and publisher monetization products with a sharp focus on the gaming vertical.”

    “As always, it’s a great moment for us to welcome a new friend to our ‘Friends of Nazara’ network and I believe Senthil and the entire Datawrkz team will add great value to what we are building at Nazara over the next few years,” added Nazara Technologies founder and joint MD Nitish Mittersain.

  • Nazara Technologies launches ‘Bang Bang’ mobile game

    Nazara Technologies launches ‘Bang Bang’ mobile game

    MUMBAI: Nazara Technologies, one of the leading mobile game developer and publisher, has launched a game based on the much anticipated action romance of the year ‘Bang Bang’ releasing on 2 October. The game was officially launched by actor Hrithik Roshan in the presence of Nazara Technologies CEO Nitish Mittersain.

     

    The third-person action adventure game features both the lead actors and follows the storyline of the film, where the protagonists Rajveer (Hrithik Roshan) and Harleen (Katrina Kaif) fight the enemy to retain the Kohinoor, the world’s most expensive diamond, stolen by Rajveer. The game is available to download for free on the Google Play store and soon it will be available on all other major stores too.

     

    Mittersain said, “India has witnessed an unprecedented surge in subscribers using internet on mobiles with the number crossing 100 million last year. This clearly makes it one of the largest and most effective medium for brands to reach out to consumers, or fans in the case of movies.” He further added, “Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif are undoubtedly among the top actors in the country today, in fact they have gone beyond being just actors and are brands in themselves. This initiative will allow fans to step into Hrithik and Katrina’s shoes, giving them an opportunity to get closer to their favourite stars.”

     

    Fox Star Studios chief marketing officer Shikha Kapur added, “Bang Bang is an action entertainer like no other. It’s replete with thrilling chases and audacious stunts that will be a first for Indian audiences. It gives us great pleasure to translate some of this action of the film to the mobile screen in the form of the Bang Bang mobile game. This is our endeavour to give users a taste of the thrill and adventure of the film through engaging gameplay and vibrant graphics. As a studio, we have always believed in the expansion of platforms so that our content reaches out to maximum users in varied ways, and bringing the Bang Bang game to the mobile screen, fits right into our strategy.”

     

    The mobile gaming industry is at an inflection point and according to a report by KPMG and FICCI, it is expected to touch Rs 19.6 billion by 2018 largely due to the growing smartphone market in India and the improved connectivity offered by telecom operators. The Indian film industry too has been growing at a phenomenal pace with multiple films breaking the Rs 100 crore barrier over the last couple of years. Given these two factors, movie-based mobile gaming should be an exciting space to watch out for.