Nazara CEO Nitish Mittersain steps down; Raymond Albaladejo Stauffer takes over

Nazara Technologies founder Nitish Mittersain will step down as chief executive officer effective September 1, with the company's board appointing Raymond A. Stauffer as CEO.

Mittersain, who founded Nazara in 1999 and led its transformation into a scaled global gaming platform, will continue as founder and managing director.

In his new role, he will focus on the company's long-term strategy, portfolio direction and key stakeholder relationships, while working closely with Stauffer and the board on Nazara's long-term direction and entrepreneurial culture.


In the board meeting announcing the leadership transition, Mittersain said the move marked the next phase of Nazara's evolution. "Having led the company through two distinct phases of its evolution and seen it grow from an entrepreneurial gaming company into a significantly larger and increasingly global gaming platform, I believe this is the right time to strengthen its leadership structure with a dedicated CEO who brings deep international operating experience to lead day-to-day execution across the group," he said.

Stauffer, founder and former chief executive of Bluetile and BestPlay, takes over after building Bluetile to Rs 254 crore in Ebita in CY25 with a 65-member team.

He will lead Nazara's day-to-day operations, portfolio integration, business performance and shared operating capabilities. "Nazara has built a strong portfolio of global gaming IPs and entrepreneurial businesses. My focus will be to strengthen execution across product, AI, user acquisition and monetisation, while preserving entrepreneurial ownership within each business," Stauffer said