BUSINESS
SuperGaming ropes in WazirX cofounder Siddharth Menon as advisor for its crypto gaming initiatives
Blockchain-based and non-fungible token (NFT)-based gaming firms are gaining steam in India and are expected to be one of the key trends in the sector in 2022.
BUSINESS
Ola Electric has clocked less than 1,800 EV registrations since December 15: Govt data
Ola Electric recently raised over $200 million at a valuation of $5 billion from Tekne Private Ventures, Alpine Opportunity Fund, Edelweiss, and others.
BUSINESS
Instagram rolls out 'Take A Break' feature in India, other markets
The feature alerts users to take a break from the platform if they have been scrolling for a certain amount of time and suggests that they set reminders to take more breaks in the future
BUSINESS
Snapchat's India expansion efforts is guiding our community growth in new markets: Evan Spiegel
Snap Inc posted its first-ever quarterly net profit of $22.6 million in Q4 2021, while revenue increased 42% year-on-year (YoY) to $1.3 billion
BUSINESS
India, Indonesia drive Spotify's user growth in Q4 2021
Advertising, which has emerged as a key growth area for Spotify now accounts for about 15% of its overall revenue, as compared to about 13% a year ago.
COMPANIES
PUBG maker Krafton invests in JetSynthesys-owned Nautilus Mobile
Making its first investment in a game development studio in India, Krafton has infused $5.4 million in Nautilus Mobile that was acquired by digital entertainment and technology company JetSynthesys in October 2020.
BUSINESS
Facebook saw slower user growth in India due to increased data pricing: Meta CFO Dave Wehner
"Another factor for slowdown in user growth is increased competition from other apps."
BUSINESS
Headout bags $30 million funding to accelerate its expansion to 500 cities globally
Headout is also scouting for acquisitions in the areas of travel, entertainment and augmented reality (AR).
BUSINESS
Google is trying to think deeper about markets like India: Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai said they are watching the blockchain space closely and looking at how they might contribute to the ecosystem and add value as a company.
BUSINESS
Budget 2022: AVGC taskforce to boost employment, give regularity clarity, say gaming industry experts
Gaming industry representatives said the task force formation will help bolster their domestic capacity, helping them meet the burgeoning market demands on national and international level.
STARTUP
Economic Survey 2022: More than 100 startups working in India's space sector
In June 2020, the government opened up the space sector enabling the participation of private firms in the entire gamut of space activities.
BUSINESS
Netflix's lack of success in India has been 'frustrating': cofounder Reed Hastings
The company will expand its portfolio of games across both casual and core genres in 2022 as it seeks to attract and retain paying customers.
STARTUP
IndiGG bags $6 million from Sequoia India, Lightspeed, Animoca Brands, and others
IndiGG is being built in association with Polygon to create a Play-to-Earn gaming hub within India.
BUSINESS
Microsoft's Activision purchase bolsters metaverse efforts against Zuckerberg's Meta
Microsoft announced plans to acquire video game maker Activision Blizzard for an eye-popping $68.7 billion in an all-cash deal on January 17.
STARTUP
Nazara Technologies to buy 55% stake in ad-tech firm Datawrkz
Datawrkz is an advertising technology firm that offers programmatic advertising and ad monetisation solutions to publishers, agencies and brands
STARTUP
nCore Games bags $10 million from Galaxy Interactive, Animoca Brands and others for a Web3 push
The mobile games and interactive entertainment startup said the funds will be used to provide the studios additional financial support to create a metaverse that will run across titles
BUSINESS
Ather Energy hikes prices of its EV scooters in India
This move comes amid growing competition in the EV space from companies such as Ola Electric and Bounce
BUSINESS
What GTA maker Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of Zynga means for India
Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of Zynga is expected to boost its developer presence in India.
STARTUP
Nazara Technologies' Nodwin Gaming forays into licensed merchandise with Planet Superheroes purchase
Nodwin will expand the offerings of Planet Superheroes by exploring partnerships with global publishers like Krafton, Gameloft, and Riot Games, to create locally relevant merchandise
BUSINESS
Byju's, Unacademy, Vedantu, others want to regulate themselves
This development comes amid growing concerns of misselling and alleged unfair practices by edtech firms in India and the likelihood of the government cracking down on the sector.
BUSINESS
Fantasy Sports has led a drastic shift in sports engagement & viewership: Dream Sports CEO Harsh Jain
Since consumers have a chance to make a team and compete with people, they end up watching matches or parts of matches that they wouldn't otherwise, Jain said.
BUSINESS
Karnataka HC disposes Google's petition on CCI's Play billing antitrust probe
CCI had earlier the Karnataka High Court that its investigation arm Director General (DG) has given an assurance that they will complete the ongoing investigation on Google within 60 days 'in all likelihood'.
BUSINESS
Google's antitrust cases in India & other markets: A quick look
CCI's probe on Google's alleged abuse of dominance in news aggregation is the fifth such antitrust probe against the Internet giant in India.
BUSINESS
Dream Sports CEO Harsh Jain gives a peek at their NFT ambitions & diversification strategy
The entire sports world is now awakening to the NFT and blockchain opportunity for sports leagues, teams and players to monetize a virtual asset that "they never even knew they own", Jain said.
