17/12/2008 Press Release Gaming can be an addiction for many people, but it can also work as a business model in building a company. This is precisely what Maruti Sanker, Managing Director of 7Seas Technologies , has done. His passion for gaming began during his stint at an IT firm in Hyderabad. "We used to play online games in the office and exchange game scores among friends. This used to be great fun. Though it all started as a hobby, I got hooked on to gaming as a concept," says Maruti. Gaming was his obvious business choice when he became an entrepreneur. His only stint as an employee was in 1999 when he joined a product-based tech company after completing engineering and an MBA from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. This gold medalist in business administration says his job with VisualSoft (now Megasoft) helped him learn the nuances of product development. "Gaming is a different field. One needs to have a good blend of programming, creativity, and technology skills, including knowledge in physics and mathematics, to become a game developer," he said. There were not many takers to fund the venture, as he wanted to focus on building intellectual properties and create value around them. "While services and outsourcing were a tried-and-tested model in India, there were not many takers for a business model around IPs," he says. Finally, Maruti's contacts in his previous company came in handy, and one of his former colleagues became an angel investor in the entrepreneurial venture. "Together, we pooled in Rs 1 crore, and 7Seas Technologies was born in 2005. We started off with eight people and came out with our first PC casual game the next year," he says. The company tied up with Trymedia, the world's largest online game distributor, for its game distribution. "We did not have the size to go for retail distribution, so we decided to go for a revenue-sharing arrangement with Trymedia," he says. Currently, the Rs 7-crore company has 273 casual games on its online games portal. In July, it also forayed into 3D mobile games and has seven games to its credit in this category. "We are developing a console game, and that will be ready next year," he says. The company relies on multiple revenue streams to mitigate risks. It also licenses its games to other portals and service operators. "We have forged ties with partners for ad-supported mobile games. This is a more transparent revenue model, and customers do not have to pay to use these games as there is in-built ad content in these games. In today's environment, where consumer spending is coming down, this model will help us expand our revenue base," he said. "All 120 employees of the company are needed to ensure future growth, and this fiscal, we will double our revenue to Rs 14 crore," he says. He is working on future plans as well and aspires to have 300 online games next year. "I want to make this company one of the largest in the mobile segment," he says. -press release