Bengaluru-based AAA studio LightFury Games has announced that its upcoming project E-Cricket will feature more than 600 officially licensed international cricketers. This represents one of the largest licensed rosters ever assembled for a cricket video game, and an unprecedented scale for a studio based in India.
The partnership that unlocked the licenses
Licensing at this scale was made possible through a partnership with Winners Alliance, a company specializing in group commercial rights for professional athletes. This mechanism allowed the studio to build a fully licensed global roster without negotiating contracts individually with each athlete.
Tim Cruickshank, Vice President of Commercial at Winners Alliance, emphasized that the project “precisely reflects the very reason” his company exists. Through its partnership with the World Cricketers’ Association, the organization represents the collective rights of international cricketers, and the collaboration with LightFury Games, he said, sets a new benchmark for how those rights can be realized within the gaming industry.
A roster with global reach
The roster will include players from leading cricket nations as well as less obvious regions. Countries represented include Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Afghanistan, Ireland, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, and Italy. All licensed athletes will be available as fully playable characters, delivering global representation and a sense of authenticity rarely achieved in the genre.
Player models, ratings, and real playing styles
The authenticity of E-Cricket extends well beyond names on a screen. Each athlete will receive:
- an individual player model,
- an overall rating (OVR),
- a statistical profile reflecting real-world strengths, tendencies, and match impact.
Among the star names already confirmed in the roster are Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Rashid Khan, Pat Cummins, Jos Buttler, Travis Head, Devon Conway, Trent Boult, Quinton de Kock, Andre Russell, and Sikandar Raza — though the full list is considerably longer.
Broadcast-style presentation and tactical depth
The developers are promising broadcast-style presentation alongside AI-driven dynamic commentary. This approach is designed to immerse players in the atmosphere of a live match, blurring the line between the screen and the stadium.
Strategic batting and bowling systems are complemented by player model progression, with athletes evolving in real time based on in-game situations and user decisions. The studio’s intention is that no two matches should ever feel the same.
LightFury’s bet on reinventing cricket games
LightFury Games CEO and co-founder Karan Shroff described the project as “bold in its vision.” He stated that the goal is to give fans the most authentic cricket experience possible — one that allows them not just to play, but to “truly live” the sport they love. The inclusion of 600+ international players alongside iconic Indian cricketers, he said, gives fans the chance to “step into the shoes of their heroes” and supports the long-term growth of the cricket ecosystem.
The studio’s confidence in the project’s commercial success is largely grounded in the sustained growth of cricket audiences beyond traditional markets. Over the past several years, viewership of T20 and ODI formats has grown noticeably in the USA, Canada, and across Europe, and with it, interest in cricket-related digital products has risen as well.
This trend is visible not only through streaming platforms but also in data from major bookmakers. Platforms such as PinUp, Mostbet, and Megapari report a steady influx of users placing bets on cricket events specifically. In particular, according to https://pinupcricketbetting.com/app/, the PinUp mobile app is gaining increasing popularity among cricket fans, which indirectly reflects the scale of the growing fan base. It is reasonable to assume that a significant portion of this audience — actively following real matches and players — will become potential buyers of E-Cricket, where those same cricketers appear in licensed form.
Shroff also stated the studio’s intention to consistently raise the bar in realism, depth, and technology, with the ultimate ambition of creating “the best cricket simulation game in the world.”
A 2026 release on Unreal Engine 5 with a mobile-first focus
E-Cricket is in active development and is scheduled for release in 2026. The project is being built on Unreal Engine 5 with a mobile-first approach, targeting high visual fidelity, realistic physics, and accurate reproduction of cricket’s dynamics. The tech demo shown at GDC 2025 received a positive response from the professional community. In subsequent development phases, the studio plans to add further licensed athletes, expanding the project’s scale and global appeal.
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