Global, Indian companies vie for ICC's official cricket gaming rights

Mumbai: Global gaming majors and Indian digital companies are vying for the International Cricket Council’s official gaming rights, underscoring the growing commercial potential of cricket-based video games, people in the know said.

Interested bidders include Electronic Arts (EA Sports), Big Ant Studios, Krafton in partnership with JetSynthesys, as well as Reliance Jio, Dream Cricket, Lightfury Games, and Nazara Technologies, the people said.

The invitation to tender (ITT), launched two weeks ago, had initially set April 21 as the submission deadline but extended it to the first week of May, the people said. The process follows an expression of interest issued last year to develop a flagship mobile cricket game.


The ICC and the companies named above declined to comment.

Nitish Mittersain, Joint MD and CEO, Nazara Technologies, which owns World Cricket Championship (WCC) game, said there is headroom to build high-quality, globally scalable cricket gaming experiences.


"While we do not comment on specific ongoing processes, we remain actively engaged in exploring opportunities that align with our strategy of building and scaling IP-led gaming businesses, especially in categories where we have demonstrated leadership," he noted.

The ICC has outlined a licensing framework spanning mobile and console platforms, signalling a more structured, commercially driven approach to gaming rights.

Under the proposal, mobile rights will run from January 2028 to December 2034, while console rights will begin a year later, from January 2029 to December 2034.

The package covers 12 member boards and includes access to player names, images and likenesses, ICC marks, tournament data, and branding, enabling fully licensed international cricket gaming experiences.

Territorially, full rights including tournament intellectual property are being offered for India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. For eight other boards, rights exclude ICC tournament IP, with additional limitations in some cases. South Africa’s package does not include bilateral rights.

The framework excludes domestic and franchise leagues such as the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, and The Hundred, as well as legendary players including Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. Separate agreements will be required to incorporate these properties.

From a commercial standpoint, the ICC has proposed a hybrid revenue model, with licensees paying either a minimum guaranteed annual fee or 15% of net revenue, whichever is higher, ensuring baseline income while allowing upside participation.

The process is being led by ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC (IBC), the ICC’s Dubai-based commercial arm.

The move is part of a broader push to engage cricket’s large base of digitally native fans. With a global following of over a billion, the ICC is seeking to translate that scale into a high-quality gaming ecosystem.