India. Apr 27: Metasports Interactive, a mobile-first competitive sports gaming company, today announced a $20 million UA (User Acquisition) funding from Metica, a London-based growth financing company.
The fund will be used to accelerate growth for Metasports Interactive’s competitive multi-player cricket game, Hitwicket. The capital will be deployed towards scaling marketing and user acquisition, as the studio targets its next phase of global expansion. The funding comes alongside a technology partnership, with Metica deploying its proprietary platform to optimise Hitwicket’s in-game revenue performance, strengthening the unit economics that underpin the studio’s growth model.
Co-founded by Kashyap Reddy and Keerti Singh, Metasports Interactive with its flagship title Hitwicket, has built a player base of over 18 million users across 109 countries since its launch. Its strong monetisation metrics, deep player retention, and the consistent quality of its user acquisition data gave Metica the confidence to deploy capital at scale. With this funding, Metasports Interactive is targeting approximately 8x growth over the next 18 months, driven by intensified marketing in priority international markets, AI-led targeting strategies, and continued investment in product depth.
Kashyap Reddy, Co-Founder and CEO, Metasports Interactive, said, “With Hitwicket, our vision is to reach over a billion cricket fans globally and build a truly world-class gaming business from India. This partnership with Metica gives us the capital and the tools to move faster in international markets without diluting ownership. We’re proud to be among the first Indian gaming companies to access this kind of structured UA funding, and we see it as a model that can unlock real scale for studios with strong fundamentals.”
UA funding, a new financing model, has been gaining momentum in the global gaming and consumer apps industry. As user acquisition is one of the biggest cost factors for gaming and consumer apps companies, this growth model is increasingly emerging as a smarter way to scale given its non-dilutive, performance-led growth mechanics. The model is now popular across the United States, Europe, and South-East Asia, where it has become a standard tool for scaling mobile titles efficiently.
Phil Mohr, CEO, Metica, added, “User acquisition funding is reserved for companies that demonstrate strong unit economics and repeatable growth. Metasports Interactive stood out because of Hitwicket’s ability to scale efficiently across both India and global markets. We see a major opportunity not only to provide growth funding, but also to support growth through our technology by helping optimise in-game revenue to increase lifetime value. We’re excited to partner with Metasports Interactive as they build a globally competitive gaming business from India.”
As Indian gaming companies mature, building internationally competitive products, adopting rigorous data practices, and demonstrating the kind of predictable growth curves that capital providers require, game developers are increasingly attracting the attention of global investors and financiers with alternative financial instruments. Metasports Interactive’s UA funding deal with Metica is a signal of this shift.
