Nazara Technologies
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Nitish Mittersain |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Revenue |  ₹1,091 crore (US$140 million) (FY23)[2] |
| ₹61 crore (US$7.6 million) (FY23)[2] | |
| Website | nazara |
Nazara Technologies is a mobile game developer and sports media company based in Mumbai, India.
History[edit]
Nazara Technologies was founded by Nitish Mittersain in 1999.[3] In the initial years, Nazara provided mobile entertainment VAS for Indian telecom operators; it began developing mobile games in 2009.[4][5] Nazara later expanded mobile games VAS into the Middle East and Africa, also becoming the licensed distributor of EA Mobile's games in these regions.[6][7]
In 2015, Nazara obtained the license from Green Gold Animations to create mobile games based on Chhota Bheem animated television series.[8] In 2016, Nazara tied up with Indian comics company Amar Chitra Katha to develop mobile games on Tinkle characters like Shikari Shambu.[9]
In 2018, Nazara acquired a majority stake in Nextwave Multimedia, a Chennai-based mobile game developer known for World Cricket Championship titles.[10] In the same year, it acquired 55% stake in esports firm Nodwin Gaming.[11] Nazara was planning to go public in 2018 and had obtained approval from the market regulators, but halted the process.[12]
In 2019, Nazara Technologies purchased a 67% stake in Absolute Sports, the parent company of Sportskeeda, for ₹44 crore.[13][14] It also acquired a 51% stake in Paper Boat Apps, the developer and publisher of gamified early learning app Kiddopia, for ₹83.5 crore later that year.[15]
In March 2021, Nazara was listed on the NSE and BSE after its initial public offering.[16] Later the same year, it acquired the Hyderabad-based real-money gaming company OpenPlay for ₹186 crore.[17]
In 2022, Nazara acquired a 55% stake in Datawrkz, an advertising technology company based in Bangalore, for ₹124 crore.[18] Later that year, it bought out the US-based kids gaming company WildWorks for $10.4 million.[19]
In 2023, Nazara Technologies acquired 73.27% stake in Pro Football Network LLC, a US-based sports analysis website that covers National Football League (NFL) and college football, for ₹16 crore (US$1.82 million), through its subsidiary Sportskeeda.[20]
Nazara Technologies joined the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) as a principal member.[21]
Games[edit]
- World Cricket Championship
- CarromClash
- Animal Jam
Subsidiaries[edit]
The company offers various interactive gaming options, eSports, ad-tech, and gamified early learning ecosystems. Notable subsidiaries include:[22]
- Nextwave Multimedia in cricket simulation games
- Kiddopia in gamified early learning
- WildWorks in kids gaming
- Nodwin Gaming in eSports
- Halaplay and Openplay in skill-based games
- Datawrkz in digital ad tech
- Sportskeeda in eSports media
Sportskeeda[edit]
Sportskeeda is a global sports and esports media subsidiary of Nazara Technologies headquartered in Bangalore, India.[23] It features, news, articles and live coverage of sports such as cricket, association football, American football, basketball, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling.[12][24][25] According to the Business Standard, Sportskeeda is India's largest all-sports website.[26]
In 2009, the company was founded by Porush Jain. After a few months, the company raised funding from angel investors like Anshu Prasad and Srinivas Cuddapah with an undisclosed amount.[27] In 2011, an early stage venture capital funding company Seedfund invested ₹2.8 crore.[28]
In 2019, Nazara Technologies acquired a 67% stake in Sportskeeda for ₹44 crore, valuing Sportskeeda at ₹65 crore.[14][13] In 2020, during COVID-19 pandemic, the company launched two video series Freehit and SKlive, featuring interviews with prominent sportspeople.[29]
In May 2022, Nazara set up its subsidiary Sportskeeda Inc. in Delaware, US.[30] In November 2022, Porush Jain resigned as CEO and Ajay Pratap Singh was promoted as the chief executive officer.[24]
References[edit]
- ^ Khan, Taslima (22 December 2017). "For Nazara's IPO run, a long-haul horse". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Nazara Tech Q4 results: Profit up 92% at Rs 9.4 crore, revenue rises 65%". The Economic Times. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Nitish Mittersain – Nazara". Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ Dash, Jayajit (22 September 2009). "Nazara plans new games for festive season". Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Chettri, Diwaskar (24 January 2010). "Updated: RCOM Launches Comics On Mobile For GSM". Medianama. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Nazara Extends Games Distribution Partnership With EA To The Middle East". Techcircle. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Nazara, EA sign distribution deal". ITWeb. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Nazara creates gaming franchisee with 'Chota Bheem' owner; to invest $7.6M". Techcircle. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Ganguly, Shramana (19 January 2016). "Amar Chitra Katha ropes in Nazara Games to develop character- based mobile games". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Gaming firm Nazara acquires majority stake in Chennai-based Nextwave". BusinessLine. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Malik, Yuvraj (24 January 2018). "Nazara acquires majority stake in NODWIN Gaming". mint. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ a b M. Sriram (21 August 2019). "Nazara Technologies Wednesday said it has acquired a majority stake in sports content website Sportskeeda.com". Hindustan Times.
- ^ a b Malik, Yuvraj (21 August 2019). "Nazara Technologies acquires 67% stake in Sportskeeda for Rs 44 cr". Business Standard.
- ^ a b "Gaming firm Nazara acquires Sportskeeda". Hindustan Times. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Nazara acquires majority stake in Paper Boat Apps". The Times of India. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ "Nazara Technologies shares list at 81% premium over issue price; Jhunjhunwala stake valued at Rs 656 crore". The Economic Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Sneha Shah (28 August 2021). "Nazara Technologies acquires OpenPlay for Rs 186 crore". The Economic Times.
- ^ "Nazara acquires majority stake in Datawrkz for Rs 124 crore". The Economic Times. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Vardhan, Gyan (30 August 2022). "Nazara acquires US-based gaming company WildWorks". Entrackr. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Gupta, Aryaman (22 March 2023). "Nazara arm Sportskeeda pays $1.8 mn for 73.27% stake in NFL-focused US firm". Business Standard. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Teena Jose (17 May 2023). "Nazara Technologies Joins All-India Gaming Federation (AIGF)". Entrepreneur India.
- ^ "Our Company – Nazara". Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Nazara Tech now a leading gaming company". The Economic Times. 22 March 2023.
Sportskeeda in esports and esports media
- ^ a b SN, Vikas (16 November 2022). "Nazara's Sportskeeda appoints Ajay Pratap Singh as CEO; founder Porush Jain resigns". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Sportskeeda appoints Anirudh Kumar as chief strategy officer". Brand Equity The Economics Times. 22 March 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "Sportskeeda set to cross 40 mn users, 1 bn ad impressions monthly". Business Standard. 8 March 2019.
- ^ Ghosh, Aparna (20 August 2014). "Online retail: Counting on sports lovers". Mint. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ N. Ramakrishnan (23 September 2012). "A social way of covering sports". Business Line. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Sabherwal, Simran (11 September 2020). "We want to be lean, yet grow fast: Porush Jain, Sportskeeda – Exchange4media". Exchange4media. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "Sportskeeda establishes an entity in the US; to invest USD 4 million into operations". ThePrint. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.