Bharti SoftBank forays into mobile gaming, launches two games

Bharti SoftBank (BSB), a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and Japan-based SoftBank, forayed into mobile gaming with launch of Tiny Mogul Games and is targetting an overall user base of more than a million by this year-end.

"We have launched the first two games - SongQuest and Shiva: The Time Bender on the Google Play store and we will have a portfolio of five games by March next year," BSB Head of Product and Strategy Kavin Bharti Mittal told PTI.

Kavin, the son of Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal, stated that the company is targetting the youth and aiming to capture 10 percent of the 12 million smartphones users by the end of this year.

The games, which are free of cost, are currently available on the Android platform via Google PlayStore and hike, BSB's free messaging service. It, however, plans to make them available on other platforms like Windows, Blackberry and iOS in near future.

Asked about the revenue generation strategy, Mittal said the games will be free, but people will be charged for virtual goods such as acquiring additional powers to progress in the game.

Mittal said BSB is also the first to launch in-app purchase of virtual goods and premium downloads through telecom carrier billing. The company has tied up with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular.

He said for buying the goods, the price will automatically be deducted for pre-paid users and for post paid users, it will be included in their monthly bill.

"Our deep relationships with telecom operators is key to building a successful gaming business with in-app billing we strongly believe that over time we will be able to create strong revenue stream for both parties," Mittal added.

SongQuest is a music trivia game that offers a challenge to those who want to test their musical prowess of Bollywood, Hollywood and Tollywood music. The game also allows users to challenge their friends via social platforms.

On the other hand, Shiva: The Time Bender is a classic side-scrolling runner game where the users play as Shiva and jump from era to era beating enemies in their path.