Hyderabad, India, Apr 24: 6:00 AM IST: LightFury Games (LFG), a AAA-focused game-tech studio, today announced that several top Indian cricketers – some of the biggest names in the world of cricket – MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya along with Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma and Sai Sudharsan – have invested in the studio. They will also feature as playable avatars in LightFury’s upcoming ‘eCricket’ game – its first original cricket title set to release this year. These cricket stars have come on board as strategic investors alongside Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI, Times Internet, as part of LightFury Games’ Pre-Series A Fund of US$11 million. The 100-member studio spans deep creative talent and advanced technical capability to build premium, globally competitive games.
On what stood out to him about this collaboration, MS Dhoni said, “I’ve seen a lot of cricket games over the years, and there’s always been something missing. When LightFury showed me what they were working on, I felt they were trying to close that gap. It’s a big undertaking, building something like this out of India for a global audience. I’m here to contribute what I can from my time in the game, and make sure the details hold up. The rest is up to them, and from what I’ve seen, they’ll do a good job.”
eCricket is a mobile-first skill-based sports game, which will be free-to-play and will not involve any betting or real-money gaming. The game will have realistic batting and bowling, where users will be able to play with others as their favourite cricketers in match-like situations that change based on player decisions. Built from India for global audiences, eCricket will be available as a premium, live-service cricket game built to global production standards. The game reflects LightFury Games’ long-term vision to build a definitive, globally competitive cricket gaming franchise from India.
“We are delighted to receive the support of India’s top cricketers. For us, this is a sign of trust in our vision to build a cricket game that is made in India, and one that everyone loves playing globally. eCricket will bring international quality, depth, and authenticity for cricket fans, and we’re looking forward to the launch this year,” said Karan Shroff, Co-Founder and CEO, LightFury Games.
Earlier this year, LightFury Games secured licensing agreements with over 600 professional cricketers from around the world, one of the largest cricket game rosters announced to date. The game will feature elite international athletes such as Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, Pat Cummins, Jos Buttler, Travis Head and Andre Russell, among many others.
