Kavin Bharti Mittal’s Rush Gaming shuts India business, lays off 100% workforce

The bloodbath in the real money gaming industry continues as Rush, the casual RMG platform under Hike’s banner, has laid off its entire workforce of over 100 employees in India. The decision follows a strategic shift by Bharti Airtel scion Kavin Bharti Mittal’s Hike to exit the Indian market entirely and focus on the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Sources from the industry confirmed that Rush is shutting down its entire Indian operations without plans to pivot to any alternative business format. The announcement was made during a recent townhall gathering at their Delhi Headquarters. This comes after an earlier workforce reduction in 2023, when around 55 employees—approximately 22% of the total staff—were let go following the government’s imposition of a 28% Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on the online RMG sector.

Storyboard18 reached out to Kavin Bharti Mittal, in his response he stated, "After regrouping with our investors and the team, I’ve made the difficult decision to wind down Hike completely. Our US business, launched just nine months ago, is off to a strong start. But after the India ban, scaling globally would require a full recap, a reset that is not the best use of capital or time."

"We could raise the capital, but the real question is: is it worth it? Is this a climb worth pivoting for? For the first time in 13 years, my answer is no. Not for me, not for my team, and not for our investors."

Mittal said, "This is both a disappointment and a hard outcome. But I choose to look on the bright side: the learnings are invaluable, and my conviction for what’s next is even stronger. To everyone who has been part of this journey - our users, our team, our investors, and our community - thank you. As a CEO, you’re only as strong as your team, and I want to give a special shout-out to mine - an incredible group of people who gave this everything (Hike)."

Originally launched as a messaging app in 2016 to challenge market leader WhatsApp, Hike Messenger ceased operations in January 2021. Soon after, the company shifted focus and began building Rush—a casual RMG platform offering 14 skill-based, money-oriented mobile games. The platform had also integrated Web3 technologies enabling user ownership and play-to-earn mechanics, attempting to blend gaming and blockchain innovation.

Kavin Bharti Mittal highlighted the platform’s success, stating that Rush scaled to over $500 million in gross revenue within four years in India. The platform boasted over 5 million players and $480 million in annual winnings distributed across its games.

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Despite these figures, mounting regulatory pressures proved insurmountable. In a statement shared on his social media handles, Kavin Mittal said: "Over the past few years, we’ve been building Rush in India with one belief: gaming is the new entertainment. Millions of Indians came to play, compete, and win, and we’re proud of the product and community we built here. But today, it’s time to close this chapter."

"The Government of India has made its position clear: RMG will not be allowed to exist in the country. Through GST hikes (rumoured now at 40%), regulatory ambiguity, and most recently, a bill rushed through to ban all RMG — without industry consultation — the message is loud and clear."

"India is one of the most exciting markets in the world for entrepreneurs and investors. But sudden regulatory reversals like this can cause turbulence and make investors wary of backing bold new ideas here. We hope that as India grows into a global economic powerhouse, regulatory clarity, transparency, and industry dialogue become the norm. It benefits everyone: government, entrepreneurs, and most importantly, consumers."

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"We will exit India completely and focus 100% of our efforts on the US and global markets. To everyone who worked with us in India: thank you. Your effort, resilience, and creativity will now fuel our global journey. To the government: while we disagree with the approach, we respect your stance. We only wish the path had been made clearer earlier."

Hike is backed by major investors including SoftBank, Tencent, Tiger Global, Bharti, Foxconn, Jump Crypto, Tribe Capital, Republic, and Polygon, with notable individuals such as Rajeev Misra, Elad Gil, and Zynga founder Mark Pincus also supporting the venture.

Since the passing of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 in the Parliament, companies like Probo, Games24x7, PokerBaazi, MPL, Zupee, A23 have laid off hundreds of employees.