Blacklight Studio Works Pvt. Ltd., parent company of gaming start up Blacklight Games, has raised an undisclosed amount in its maiden funding round, which was led by investment firm Udyat Ventures. The round included the participation of Kratos Studios, Dexter Ventures, and Polygon Ventures.

Blacklight aims to use the new funds to expand into new markets, expand its team, and invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance the player experience through greater personalisation. The company was founded in 2011 by Shruti Sarraf and Anupam Srivastava, and went on to create titles such as Ludo Superstar and Zen Solitaire.

“From the very start, our aim has been to establish a global brand for classic games,” said Sarraf. “The global stage holds potential as billions of smartphone users are each potential gamers.”

“Through the utilisation of AI and ML in gaming, we are crafting an unparalleled gaming experience,” added Srivastava.

“Without a single rupee of external capital, Shruti and Anupam have built Blacklight to be among the top 10 gaming publishers in India with cumulative downloads of 200 million plus and three of their games - Ludo Superstar, Callbreak Superstar, and Carrom Studios are among the top five ranked games in their respective categories,” said Dexter Capital’s Devendra Agrawal.

India’s mobile scene

India is increasingly one of the world’s most dynamic mobile gaming markets, with the country’s residents flocking to their phones. As such mobile remains the chief interest for the country’s gaming industry and one that draws significant investment. Blacklight Studios performance so far has made the company an inarguable success and one that’s primed for future growth.

“Anupam and Shruti have built Blacklight from the ground up and we are looking forward to building an international gaming studio brand from India,” said Udyat BVentures managing partner Rahul Gupta.

Blacklight investor Kratos Studios recently launched Kratos Games Network to invest in the gaming industry.