Spill Games Raises $10.5 Mn To Scale AI-Led Mobile Gaming Studio

Spill Games, a Bengaluru-based mobile gaming studio, has secured $10.5 Mn (approximately ₹100 Cr) in a Series A funding round. The investment, led by Elevation Capital, will fuel the company's growth, allowing Spill to scale its existing games, expand its development pipeline, bolster AI and technology capabilities, acquire users, and strategically grow its team.

Co-founded by Om Misra, Tapan Ranjan, and Harsh Garg, Spill creates free-to-play casual, puzzle, and hybrid-casual mobile games for global audiences using an AI-led, portfolio-driven approach. Their proprietary engine, Compass, integrates analytics, player retention, monetisation, and live operations tools, enabling the company to reuse infrastructure across games and accelerate development times by about four times compared to traditional methods.

Spill's portfolio currently features six games, such as Cozy Finds, Sticker by Number, Zen Math Crossword, Bird Rescue Jam, and Grill Master. The startup generates revenue through advertisements and in-app purchases. The latest funding follows a $3.1 Mn seed round raised in April, when Spill targeted over 20 prototypes in the next 18 months with a goal of launching 5-10 profitable titles.

The timing of Spill's funding comes amid shifts in India's gaming landscape following the government's ban on real-money gaming and the Supreme Court's confirmation of a 28% GST levy on online gaming bets. While Spill's approach differs from platforms relying on real-money wagers, other game developers have also drawn investor interest.

Notably, Rohit Sharma, along with MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya, among others, recently invested in LightFury Games, aiming to launch its eCricket game in September. These developments occur within a rapidly expanding domestic gaming market, with over 50 crore Indians estimated to be connected to the gaming ecosystem, including esports enthusiasts, content creators, and entrepreneurs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted this growth during the India Mobile Congress, emphasizing the diversification of participation beyond traditional gaming.