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With a view to cash in on the popularity of cricket, Royal Challengers Bangalore and gaming entity Nazara Games have come together to launch a new mobile cricket game RCB Star Cricket.
RCB is looking to extend its brand franchise to the online sphere and create a game which lasts longer than the IPL period of 90 days. This will also mark the first cricket franchise to have a game off the field and on the screen.
RCB Star Cricket is a social cricketing experience with India’s biggest cricketing stars including Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.
“Our aim is to create the largest cricketing community on second screen. RCB will work exclusively with Nazara Games as part of a three-year partnership,”Manish Agarwal, CEO, Nazara Games told BusinessLine .
Agarwal said the company is looking to keep the buzz alive both during and post the IPL season. “Typically, the shelf life of an online game is about three to six months. Our aim is to keep the momentum alive even post the IPL season,” he said.
Agarwal said the company is looking at a five to ten million downloads for RCB Star Cricket.
Amrit Thomas, Chairman, RCB said, “Over the last 10 years, RCB has transcended from being just a cricket team to a lifestyle brand that connects with its fans across multiple touch points. We have millions of people who engage with RCB on digital platforms and we wanted to offer a more personalised RCB experience to these bold fans, hence we looked at creating RCB Star Cricket.”
The RCB IPL team is owned by Royal Challengers Sports Private Ltd, a subsidiary of United Spirits Ltd, a Diageo Group company.
Sridhar B, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, United Spirits Ltd, said the company will leverage its assets base by using key players.
“When we are looking at gaming, we are also looking at a gaming market which is predominantly owned by the affluent class. We may also look at extending the game franchise to an e-sport league depending on the traction,” Sridhar added.
Both companies did not specify the investment made in the new game. The game is due to launch with the first RCB match on April 7.
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