Sachin Tendulkar co-owned virtual entertainment company, Smaaash Entertainment, plans to enter Middle East and has signed superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as its brand ambassador.
The company will launch a 65,000-sq ft gaming arcade around soccer, cricket and other virtual games in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in July and another in Dubai two months later, according to founder and chief imagination officer, Shripal Morakhia. The company has invested around Rs 15 crore developing the soccer games.
Smaaash launched its signature concept in 2013 with cricket pitches fitted with ball-throwing machines that replicated the pitch of world-class bowlers, including spin, and allowed gamers to face real bowling. The same throwing machines can project passed balls or goal shots for soccer. The player in this case can collect, dribble or block goals accordingly.
“We perfected our electronic ball-throwing machines with cricket and are now extending that to soccer,” Morakhia said. He refrained from commenting on the commercial value of the contract with the two times Ballon d’Or footballer, but the contract covers Gulf countries and India for at least last five years and that it will comprise of an annual fee.
While the locations for the upcoming arcades have not been confirmed by Morakhia, but the one who was working closely on this said that the arcade in Jeddah will be in the Red Sea Mall, while that in Dubai will be in Dubai Mall — both in the heart of the cities.
Apart from these Gulf cities, the company is also planning a London launch, for which it could sign a club, or a team, or perhaps even extend Ronaldo’s agreement.
“We have seven soccer challenges through which you can find out what percentage of Ronaldo is in you, but Smaaash is also about the games Ronaldo loves,” Morakhia said.
It also wants to add a signature F1 simulation and some newly added concepts, such as a finger coaster in which a rider can design a roller coaster track and a simulator will portray the picture in virtual reality and a seat will provide shakes and jolts to complement the ride.
The Mumbai-based company’s next step in India will be to launch theme based food areas, a snow park, which will replace the current paint ball shoot out on its flagship property in Mumbai, and a convention centre for corporate clients who are regulars at Smaaash’s outlets, Morakhia said.
Built with master blaster Tendulkar who holds 18 per cent in the company, Smaaash’s signature cricket venture has turned profitable in India with an operating profit margin of 32 per cent.