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

The massacre in the actual cash gaming trade continues as Rush, the informal RMG platform beneath Hike’s banner, has laid off its total workforce of over 100 staff in India. The choice follows a strategic shift by Bharti Airtel scion Kavin Bharti Mittal’s Hike to exit the Indian market completely and concentrate on the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Sources from the trade confirmed that Rush is shutting down its total Indian operations with out plans to pivot to any different enterprise format. The announcement was made throughout a current townhall gathering at their Delhi Headquarters. This comes after an earlier workforce discount in 2023, when round 55 staff—roughly 22% of the full employees—have been let go following the federal government’s imposition of a 28% Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on the net RMG sector.

Storyboard18 reached out to Kavin Bharti Mittal, in his response he said, “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 mentioned, “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 problem market chief WhatsApp, Hike Messenger ceased operations in January 2021. Soon after, the corporate shifted focus and started constructing Rush—an off-the-cuff RMG platform providing 14 skill-based, money-oriented cellular video games. The platform had additionally built-in Web3 applied sciences enabling consumer possession and play-to-earn mechanics, making an attempt to mix gaming and blockchain innovation.

Kavin Bharti Mittal highlighted the platform’s success, stating that Rush scaled to over $500 million in gross income inside 4 years in India. The platform boasted over 5 million gamers and $480 million in annual winnings distributed throughout its video games.

Despite these figures, mounting regulatory pressures proved insurmountable. In a press release shared on his social media handles, Kavin Mittal mentioned: “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.”

“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 main buyers together with SoftBank, Tencent, Tiger Global, Bharti, Foxconn, Jump Crypto, Tribe Capital, Republic, and Polygon, with notable people resembling Rajeev Misra, Elad Gil, and Zynga founder Mark Pincus additionally supporting the enterprise.

Since the passing of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 within the Parliament, firms like Probo, Games24x7, PokerBaazi, MPL, Zupee, A23 have laid off a whole bunch of staff.