Reliance Jio, the key change-maker in the revolution of 4G internet in India has recently been investing actively and expanding its ever-growing business in India and in abroad.
In a recent activity, the internet provider has led a Series A funding round in Augmented Reality-based gaming company, Krikey.
According to sources, the company has not yet disclosed the financial details of the deal but it has been confirmed that with this latest infusion of funds, the total amount raised by the gaming company reached over $22 million.
Augmented Reality is the future of gaming in India and elsewhere. The scope and potential in this segment of the gaming industry is skyrocketing and Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani knows exactly how to capitalise on the opportunity.
Talking about gaming, Krikey, Inc. is an Augmented-Reality-based mobile gaming company that is compatible with both Android and iOS platforms. The company makes unique custom AR-based mobile games for each company partner.
For Reliance Jio, the gaming company has introduced “Yaatra” in India and Jio Director, Akash Ambani says,
“Krikey will inspire a generation of Indians to embrace Augmented Reality. Our vision is to bring the best experiences from across the world to India and the introduction of Yaatra is a step in that direction. AR gaming takes the user into a world of its own, and we invite every Jio and non-Jio user to experience AR through Yaatra,” as published on YourStory and TechCrunch.
Reliance Jio confirms that the game will come with exclusive features for Jio users such as access to custom avatars.
Sources suggest that the AR game will soon be launched for JioPhone users and is already available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store to download.
Krikey was founded by Jhanvi Shriram and Ketaki Shriram back in 2017. The sister duo wanted to create Virtual Reality games but realised that VR Headsets were expensive and thus, the public adoption would be prohibitive, a risk the founders were not willing to take.
Then they switched to Augmented Reality gaming, creating Krikey and launching it for the public in 2020.
Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio has stepped foot in the Indian gaming industry realising the potential that this segment has in the near future. Capitalising on this opportunity was not the company’s first action, Jio has also recently invested in Artificial Intelligence start-up, Haptik, Mixed Reality platform- Tessaract and online music streaming app- Saavn.
Krikey on the other hand leverages AR technology, art and storyline to make the perfect blend of a compelling gaming experience.
That being said, the start-up has also worked with popular Hollywood TV show, The Ellen Show and created “Gorillas” AR game in association with Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Foundation.
Another game, “Wingspan” is created in partnership with National Audubon Society, according to a report by YourStory.
