Mobile game development studio Nautilus Mobile, owned by , has raised $5.4 million in funding led by the South Korean gaming company - KRAFTON, makers of the phenomenally popular battle royale game BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI).
With this funding from KRAFTON, Nautilus Mobile aims to deepen its penetration in more markets across the world and broaden its scope to include a multitude of different sports games in addition to cricket.
"Gaming and e-sports are going to be next big thing. Our aim now is to ensure that games like cricket reach countries outside India that have a great fan following, and even those that do not play cricket natively," said Rajan Navani, Founder and CEO, JetSynthesys and Chairman of Nautilus, in a conversation with YourStory.
He added, “With the massive adoption of mobile gaming in India, fuelled further by the pandemic, the industry has reached an interesting juncture and we are all excited to jet speed into the future. KRAFTON has been a key player in the global mobile gaming space and we’re glad to join forces with them to take our Indian studio on to a global stage.”
Founded in 2013, Hyderabad-based Nautilus Mobile develops and publishes high-quality cricket games. In October 2020, JetSynthesys, a new age digital entertainment and technology company with a global foray in gaming and esports, digital entertainment, and interest-based social community platforms announced 100 percent acquisition of Nautilus Mobile.
Rajan said, "Anuj (Mankar) and team Nautilus are amongst our country’s most successful game development teams, having won several awards over the years and taking the company to newer heights. With this partnership we aim to scale Nautilus Mobile’s already robust gaming portfolio bolstering their growth trajectory further.”
Nautilus Mobile is currently ranked #1 simulation-based cricket gaming franchise in the world having recorded 100 million downloads and claims to have a community of one crore monthly active users (MAUs).
“Nautilus Mobile has a young and passionate team who are mission driven to create the best Cricket experience on Mobile with a proven track record of building successful cricket games”, said Sean Hyunil Sohn, Head of India Div, KRAFTON.
He added, “KRAFTON is excited to invest in them as the first game development studio in India with whom we share a common goal of creating more unique sports gaming experiences for a passionate cricketing Indian audience. We are committed to enhance the video game ecosystem in India and this is yet another step in that direction.”
Post this investment, JetSynthesys will continue to hold majority stake in the company. Over the years, the company has also become a leading name in the gaming category, particularly known for developing mobile games with high fidelity and network play across its own games and its owned subsidiaries.
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta