Overview
- LightFury Games, which announced the round Thursday, secured $11 million in pre-Series A funding from Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, MIXI and Times Internet alongside investments from MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and other India internationals.
- The studio says the money will finish development of its debut title eCricket and build live-ops systems to support content updates and player engagement after launch.
- Built on Unreal Engine 5 for phones, eCricket is pitched as a high-budget “AAA” sports game with physics-led play, strategic batting and bowling, AI-driven commentary and a TV-style presentation, with release slated for 2026.
- LightFury has a global roster license for 600-plus professional players, including Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson and Pat Cummins, to boost realism and marketing reach.
- Founded in 2024 in Bengaluru with about 100 staff, the studio frames eCricket as proof that India can create premium gaming IP for the world, a push that aligns with new non‑real‑money gaming rules and a domestic market forecast to reach $9.89 billion by 2031.