HitWicket Superstars Cricket Strategy Games Wins Government's AtmaNirbhar Challenge
HitWicket Superstars is the winner of the national government's 'AatmaNirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge'. The results were announced via a live stream on the Government of India's Digital India YouTube channel.
The initiative aims to identify and reward apps made in India that have the potential to become world-leading in their category. Popular categories include entertainment, office, health, and gaming. This year's challenge saw 6,940 apps entered, with 24 different prizes awarded.
HitWicket Superstars is a cricket strategy game with a notably diverse user base, claiming three million users from 109 different countries. Over 20% of players are female, and another 35% come from outside India, chiefly other cricket-loving nations like the United Kingdom and Australia.
The vision was created by Hyderabadis Kashyap Reddy and Keerti Singh (pictured) back in 2015. The app launched earlier this year with the emphasis on being a top-class cricket game and the first mobile esports IP (intellectual property) from India. Already the game boasts over 900,000 downloads over Android and iOS stores.
Keerti Singh said: "It's very encouraging to see the government taking cognizance of gaming in India and the potential for creating a world-class game made in India for India and the world. 25 per cent of our team is composed of women, young girls deeply passionate about cricket and gaming working in product, data and design that helps us create a game that is truly inclusive, like the spirit of cricket that resonates with all."
Kashyap Reddy added: "Our goal is to marry the mass appeal of cricket with the accessibility of mobile gaming and put India on the World map as a prime hub of Esports and mobile gaming."
Gaming in India continues its relentless march in popularity. We reported how innovative apps like HitWicket Superstars would help push the gaming industry to a net worth of US$3.75 billion by 2024, with India now the second-largest market worldwide for app downloads.
The coronavirus lockdown has seen many gaming companies report huge surges in traffic, sign-up, and engagement as more and more people try online and mobile gaming.
