Islamabad, Apr 9, 2025: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is preparing to enter the mobile gaming industry as part of a broader effort to diversify its income streams.
With concerns growing over the sustainability of future broadcasting deals, the global cricket body sees mobile gaming as a fast-growing market with strong potential.
The proposal is expected to be presented during ICC board meetings in Harare, where the digital team will brief the Chief Executives’ Committee.
Although the concept has been floated before, the ICC now hopes to receive formal approval from its Full Members to invite developers to create its first-ever official game.
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Initially, the offering would be limited to mobile platforms.
Cricket video games have existed since the 1980s, but this is the first attempt of the cricket authority to develop and own one.
However, developing a game of this scale poses significant challenges, particularly around licensing player names, images, and likenesses (NIL).
Unlike the arrangement of FIFA with EA Sports, which helped shape the football video game industry, the fragmented structure of cricket makes licensing more complex.
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The ICC holds temporary NIL rights during tournaments, but outside that, national boards or player associations control them.
This means the ICC must secure separate deals, especially in countries like India and Pakistan, which do not have player unions affiliated with (WCA.
The WCA, now partnered with Winners Alliance, oversees NIL rights for players from countries such as Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Recent disputes between boards and player groups in Australia and New Zealand over the use of player images in mobile games highlight the legal complexities.
The $3 billion mobile gaming market of India drives the interest of ICC, but lacking rights to Indian players or IPL franchises could limit the game’s success.
