Codemasters has announced that Indian firm Reliance Big Entertainment has agreed to acquire a 50% shareholding in the company. They will accompany the existing investor Balderton Capital; whom first invested in Codemasters back in 2005.

Reliance Big Entertainment’s gaming division;  Zapak Digital Entertainment will oversee the Codemasters investment. They are the largest gaming company in India, with connections to online casual games, massively multiplayer online titles, gaming cafes and physical distribution of gaming software. They also own Jump Games, a mobile game development and publishing company.

Rohit Sharma, CEO of Zapak, said: “We are excited to partner with Codemasters and believe that its very strong technology, development and distribution presence will complement our global gaming portfolio. Additionally, Zapak’s global strength in mobile gaming will enhance Codemasters’ ability to fully leverage its attractive franchises such as its racing and cricket games.”

Rod Cousens, chief executive of Codemasters, said: “The opportunities arising from this partnership are truly exciting. This is great news for our development and publishing teams. Reliance and Zapak have immense resources and will help us realize the full potential of our game coding and online excellence across so many platforms, and especially in the world’s fastest growing markets. The future of Codemasters has never looked brighter – it’s a whole new game.”

Tim Bunting, Balderton Partner, said: “We are delighted to welcome Reliance as our partner in Codemasters and gratified by the confidence in Codemasters that Reliance’s initiative represents.”