Mobile game developer Nazara Technologies gets exclusive rights to develop games based on Bollywood titles

MUMBAI: Mobile game developer Nazara Technologies has got exclusive rights to develop games based on Bollywood titles such as Bang Bang, Finding Fanny and Bombay Velvet. The move comes as increasing smartphone penetration is leading to fresh monetisation opportunities for movie studios, while opening up new markets for mobile gaming firms.
“Gaming was looked at as a last-minute, frivolous activity by movie studios and they would approach game developers one or two months before release. And they usually gave it to the largest bidder. But professional studios that have seen international successes are now looking to do this on a partnership basis,“ said Nitish Mittersain, founder and CEO of Nazara Technologies.

First out of the stable next week will be a game based on Bang Bang, the Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif starrer scheduled to release next month. The games will be released on a freemium basis, where downloads will be free and monetisation will take place through in-app purchases and ads. Depending on the success, these games could earn anywhere from Rs 2 crore to Rs 10 crore, Mittersain said.

While typically movie studios engage with developers on a movie-by-movie basis, the agreement between production house Fox Star Studios and Nazara Technologies is unique as it runs for five years. The deal will also give Nazara the right to movies listed in Fox Star's catalogue and rights for games to be developed on mobile, online and the DTH platform.