Verified employee & interview reviews

99Games Reviews

Udupi, Karnataka

5.0/ 5

1 review

99Games Online Private Limited is a prominent Indian mobile game development and publishing studio based in Udupi, Karnataka. Established on December 10, 2008, by parallel entrepreneur Rohith Bhat, the company transitioned from a small boutique team with a background in Mac product development into a leading "super-indie" studio. Initially conceived as a business-to-consumer (B2C) spin-off from Robosoft Technologies, 99Games was founded to capitalize on the early boom of the Apple App Store. Over the years, it has established itself as a frontrunner in creating globally successful, high-quality, free-to-play mobile games. The studio operates predominantly out of tier-II/III ecosystems, demonstrating a successful model for scaling technology and creative businesses outside of India’s major metropolitan hubs. Its business model focuses heavily on game development and publishing for tablets and smartphones across iOS and Android systems. 99Games builds highly engaging, casual, and resource-management titles, leaning heavily on gamer psychology, deep monetization frameworks, and the cultivation of active multiplayer communities. The company is particularly recognized for developing female-focused gaming experiences, such as puzzle strategy games centered on cooking and restaurant themes, alongside high-profile, movie-inspired intellectual properties developed in collaboration with premier Indian entertainment entities like Yash Raj Films. Financially, 99Games is a venture-backed, Series B company that has raised approximately $11.2 million in institutional funding across multiple investment rounds. Its prominent financial backers include major venture capital firms such as Kalaari Capital, Ascent Capital, and Japan’s Dream Incubator Inc. Structurally, funds hold the majority ownership at 63.60%, while the founding team retains a 28.77% stake, alongside smaller allocations to angel networks. The studio manages a diverse portfolio of over 22 game titles that have collectively amassed more than 100 million downloads worldwide. Among its most iconic releases is "Star Chef," a globally acclaimed cooking and restaurant management simulation that generated over $30 million in lifetime revenue and became one of India's most successful cross-border mobile gaming exports. Other historically significant titles include "Dhoom:3 The Game" and "Sultan: The Game," both of which achieved massive success within the domestic Indian market by leveraging Bollywood partnerships. The studio's lineage also includes early experimental titles like its foundational multiplayer Chess series, Aqua Jigsaw, Winemaker Extraordinaire, and SpellUp. Led by CEO Rohith Bhat and Senior Producer Shilpa Bhat, 99Games continues to focus on lean, profitable scaling, leveraging a skilled workforce of artists, writers, coders, and designers to maintain its competitive edge against thousands of active global competitors in the casual gaming sector.