The online multiplayer cricket game app, Hitwicket, which has its headquarters in Hyderabad, released “Hitwicket Superstars” on Thursday. The game lets players step into the role of a team manager. The business also disclosed that it raised $3 million (about Rs 24.3 crore) from Prime Venture Partners. Hitwicket will use the additional funding to add more features centered around multiplayer access.
Over three million players use Hitwicket in 100 different countries, and more than 30% of them are from nations other than India. Every day, 1.3 million minutes of gameplay is recorded, with a user session lasting 45 minutes on an average. Women make up about 17% of Hitwicket players. Every app store has a free download option for the game.
In addition to receiving three million dollars in funding from Prime Venture Partners, Hitwicket, the gaming category winner of the PM’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge in 2020, also plans to develop a strategy-driven gaming studio and provide top-notch cricket action to more than a billion fans worldwide.
India’s gaming market is anticipated to triple in size and reach $3.9 billion by 2025, according to a KPMG report. Additionally, according to a survey by EY and FICCI, there were 390 million online gamers in India as of 2021, and the figure is predicted to reach 450 million by 2023, the company claimed.
Hitwicket strives to emerge as the first Mobile Esports IP in the Cricket Games category from India by integrating the accessibility of mobile gaming with the universal appeal of cricket. Hitwicket, a game created by Keerti Singh and Kashyap Reddy, demands players to prepare their approach in order to succeed as opposed to playing on every “ball” and scoring as they go.
“It is amazing to see a vibrant gaming ecosystem evolving in Telangana. With the phenomenal talent in India and the booming startup sector, the time is ripe for the country to lead the way in building games for a global audience. The gaming industry has the potential to be a huge source for employment and education and I am proud to see companies in Telangana leading the way. Hitwicket is an example of technology and innovation coming together to give the world one of the biggest strategy games in cricket, built in India for India and the world,” said IT and Industries Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan.