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Gameskraft, the Bengaluru-based skill gaming company, will shut down its online poker platform, Pocket52, by July 2025. The platform will discontinue gameplay on May 30, with full closure planned for July.
The move is part of a “strategic pause” as Gameskraft reassesses its long-term strategy in the poker segment. The decision follows mounting challenges in India’s real-money gaming (RMG) industry, including the 28% GST and regulatory uncertainty.
Launched in 2018 by Nitesh Salvi, Saurav Suman, Debashish Bhattacharjee, and Satyam Verma, Pocket52 quickly became a popular destination for online poker players. The platform raised $600,000 in seed funding and $1.75 million in Series A funding from Gameskraft in 2020.
As of March 31, 2024, Pocket52’s revenue stood at $8.54 million, according to data from Tracxn. Gameskraft said that while Pocket52 had seen “encouraging engagement,” a “deeper momentum” and “focused strategy” were needed to scale.
“Staying true to this commitment, Gameskraft has announced a strategic pause in the operations of its Poker platform, Pocket52,” the company stated.
The company assured that this pause “does not impact the employee strength of the company.” The ‘Add Cash’ feature will end on May 22, and players can withdraw funds using standard procedures.
“All relevant communications are being sent to the players,” the company said, adding that the app would remain accessible until July 2025.
Gameskraft also reiterated its commitment to the Indian poker ecosystem. “This pause allows us to reimagine what a best-in-class Poker platform should look like.”
The shutdown comes amid industry-wide consolidation. Delta Corp recently sold Deltatech Gaming to Head Digital Works in a ₹491 crore deal. In another deal, Nazara Technologies acquired a 47.7% stake in PokerBaazi for ₹982 crore.
Other key poker operators in India include MPL, Spartan Poker, and Games24x7’s PokerCircle. Spartan Poker was acquired by OneVerse in February 2024.
Gameskraft said it remains committed to building “innovative, high-impact digital experiences for players across the country.”
Source: https://g2g.news/poker/gameskraft-to-shut-down-pocket52-poker-platform-amid-industry-turbulence/
The move is part of a “strategic pause” as Gameskraft reassesses its long-term strategy in the poker segment. The decision follows mounting challenges in India’s real-money gaming (RMG) industry, including the 28% GST and regulatory uncertainty.
Launched in 2018 by Nitesh Salvi, Saurav Suman, Debashish Bhattacharjee, and Satyam Verma, Pocket52 quickly became a popular destination for online poker players. The platform raised $600,000 in seed funding and $1.75 million in Series A funding from Gameskraft in 2020.
As of March 31, 2024, Pocket52’s revenue stood at $8.54 million, according to data from Tracxn. Gameskraft said that while Pocket52 had seen “encouraging engagement,” a “deeper momentum” and “focused strategy” were needed to scale.
“Staying true to this commitment, Gameskraft has announced a strategic pause in the operations of its Poker platform, Pocket52,” the company stated.
The company assured that this pause “does not impact the employee strength of the company.” The ‘Add Cash’ feature will end on May 22, and players can withdraw funds using standard procedures.
“All relevant communications are being sent to the players,” the company said, adding that the app would remain accessible until July 2025.
Gameskraft also reiterated its commitment to the Indian poker ecosystem. “This pause allows us to reimagine what a best-in-class Poker platform should look like.”
The shutdown comes amid industry-wide consolidation. Delta Corp recently sold Deltatech Gaming to Head Digital Works in a ₹491 crore deal. In another deal, Nazara Technologies acquired a 47.7% stake in PokerBaazi for ₹982 crore.
Other key poker operators in India include MPL, Spartan Poker, and Games24x7’s PokerCircle. Spartan Poker was acquired by OneVerse in February 2024.
Gameskraft said it remains committed to building “innovative, high-impact digital experiences for players across the country.”
Source: https://g2g.news/poker/gameskraft-to-shut-down-pocket52-poker-platform-amid-industry-turbulence/