MUMBAI: PlayUp, an interactive social engagement platform for sports, has launched a new game Cricket Empires - Claim your fame.
The new game, planned to coincide with the season 5 of IPL to derive maximum mileage, will have expert inputs from Australian legend Steve Waugh, one of the key stakeholders in the PlayUp business, and Indian cricket star Rohit Sharma, who is also the company’s brand ambassador.
PlayUp India CEO Rajat Kulshrestha said, “As pioneers in interactive social engagement for Sport, we are proud to bring our expertise to creating a new genre of social games. The modern-day sports fan is extremely well-informed and demands the very best. Our understanding of Sport and Social media allows us to create products with intense engagement for fans. We have learnt from both, our very active Facebook community and our Cricket experts – Australian legend Steve Waugh and Indian Cricket star Rohit Sharma - who have been intensively involved in the design and development of this game.”
Cricket Empires, PlayUp asserts, puts users in an immersive world that they can develop as they progress through the game. Users have two main assets – their Sports City and their Teams, which can be chosen from 16 of the latest generation of international and domestic players.
Fans create their perfect Empire with the addition of facilities such as stadiums, gymnasiums, team offices and training centers. Utilising these facilities for training players leads to increased health and better health leads to improved performances in the tournaments in Cricket Empires.
PlayUp says the game is different since it establishes close connect between user strategy and the real-world performance of Cricket players. Real world performances affect the popularity and demand for players within the game and fans need to adjust their Super-16 accordingly.
Cricket Empires will be launched as a public beta in early March with a full release to follow in time for the new IPL season. Users can enjoy the game on popular Social Media platforms and from their smart phones.
For the last year’s IPL, the company had partnered Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors India to engage with cricket fans and had invested close to Rs 50-60 million on vigorous branding strategy targeting the digital space.
