Highlights
- eCricket Early Access will use player feedback to refine the game before its late 2026 launch.
- LightFury aims to build a global cricket gaming IP with 700+ licensed cricketers.
- eCricket enters a market led by Real Cricket, GEPL, FIFA, and EA Sports FC.
LightFury Games is preparing to launch eCricket Early Access in August 2026, inviting players to help shape the game as the Indian studio works to establish the title as a global cricket gaming franchise. The strategy gives eCricket an important role beyond simply providing players with access before launch.
The eCricket teaser dropped on Aug 21, 2026. The game's official website confirms that its closed beta is scheduled for September 2026 and will be available exclusively to early access users.
The program will allow LightFury to test whether its gameplay systems and broader franchise strategy work for players ahead of the full launch. Through Early Access, LightFury plans to involve players in development, using their feedback to refine gameplay, performance, balance, and the overall player experience ahead of the game's launch in late 2026.
The studio is also positioning eCricket as the foundation of a longer-term cricket gaming IP. LightFury says the title has more than 700 licensed cricketers and over 300K fan sign-ups.
eCricket Aims to Become a Long-Term Cricket Gaming Franchise
Karan Shroff, Co-Founder and CEO of LightFury Games, discussed the opportunity in cricket’s existing global following in an interview with Outlook Respawn. Asked whether eCricket could become cricket’s equivalent of EA Sports FC, Shroff responded, “Absolutely. Cricket is one of the world’s great sports, and we believe it deserves a gaming franchise of equally global scale and cultural relevance. That is the opportunity we see with eCricket.”
The studio's vision extends beyond recreating cricket matches.
Shroff has described eCricket as a potential digital home for cricket fandom, where players can compete with friends, build teams and rivalries, play with cricketers they follow, and engage with the sport around its biggest moments.
That ambition also informs the game's development model. LightFury is building eCricket around four areas: official licensing, gameplay, social play, and live-service content. Licensing is intended to establish authenticity, gameplay to retain players, social features to build communities, and live content to keep the experience evolving with cricket.
Shroff further explained why the studio does not consider licensing sufficient on its own: “Licensing creates authenticity and emotional connection. With 700+ licensed cricketers, including MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya, we are building a universe around players that fans already know, follow, and care deeply about. But licensing can earn attention; gameplay has to earn time.”
LightFury Games/Karan Shroff
Player Retention Will Be a Crucial Test for eCricket
LightFury's definition of success is not limited to the number of people who register or download the game. Shroff pointed out that the studio will look at whether players continue returning and whether eCricket becomes part of their relationship with cricket.
“The metrics matter: registrations, downloads, and engagement are important indicators of momentum. But they are milestones, not the destination. For me, the true measure of eCricket’s success will be reach, retention and, ultimately, player love,” Shroff said while describing the metrics he believes will determine whether eCricket can become an enduring franchise.
However, the live-service model gives the studio a potential route to sustain that engagement. Cricket produces year-round tournaments, rivalries, player performances, emerging stars, and major moments, all of which can provide material for new content.
LightFury wants eCricket to evolve alongside those developments rather than remain static after launch.
$11M Funding Supports LightFury's Global Ambition
LightFury has raised two rounds of funding, including an $11M USD pre-Series A round in 2026. The company's backers include MIXI, Blume Ventures, V3 Ventures, Times Internet, and strategic investors from the Indian cricket ecosystem, including MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Tilak Varma, and Sai Sudharsan.
The studio is also building the project with a team that has experience in AAA development.
LightFury was founded in 2024 by Shroff, Anurag Banerjee, and Tina Balachandran. The founders have collectively worked on more than 40 AAA titles, while the studio now has more than 110 developers and industry professionals. Nearly 80% of its team has relocated to Bengaluru from different parts of India and overseas.
“If we can demonstrate that a world-class franchise can be built, monetized, owned, and scaled from India for global audiences, it creates a proof point for the entire ecosystem. It gives capital the confidence to back the next studio, the next ambitious founder, and the next original IP,” Shroff said, discussing how eCricket's success could influence investment and publisher interest in Indian AAA game development.
How eCricket Compares With Established Industry Competitions
The challenge becomes clearer when eCricket is placed alongside the existing Real Cricket ecosystem. Krafton-owned Nautilus Mobile says its Real Cricket franchise has surpassed 500M downloads, while earlier franchise figures reported more than 350M downloads and over one million daily active users. The franchise has been operating since 2014 and has built multiple game modes and competitive formats.
Meanwhile, the JetSynthesys-owned Global e-Cricket Premier League (GEPL) has built a competitive ecosystem around Real Cricket, expanding the game beyond regular gameplay into franchise-based competition and live esports entertainment. Season 3 featured eight franchises, an INR 3.1 cr prize pool, and a grand finale on Aug 9, 2026, in Pune.
The league also positioned the season around broadcast and live-event production, with national distribution through Star Sports and JioHotstar, as well as international streaming through Willow TV in the U.S. and Canada.
GEPL and Real Cricket, therefore, enter the comparison with an established advantage in player familiarity, competitive infrastructure, and franchise-based esports. This puts them closer to global sports gaming IPs such as FIFA and EA Sports FC, which have built long-standing player communities and competitive ecosystems. In an interview with Outlook Respawn, GEPL executives have also described themselves as the world's biggest e-cricket franchise league.
That does not automatically determine how eCricket will perform. LightFury is approaching the category with a different proposition built around AAA development, involving many licensed cricketers, social play, live-service content, and community participation during development.
For now, the more important test is whether LightFury can convert those ingredients into sustained player engagement. If successful, eCricket could establish LightFury as a new player in a market where Real Cricket and GEPL already have established communities. It could also strengthen Shroff’s broader argument that India can move beyond contributing to global games and create and own major gaming IP from the country.
As Shroff said while outlining that wider ambition, “India has already been a consumer and a contributor to great games. The next evolution is to become a creator and owner of great games.”
