LILA Games
Santa Clara, US · Founded 2020 · Delaware corporation · 149 employees on LinkedIn · 9 known investors
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LILA Games is a video game studio based in India developing free-to-play mobile shooter games. Its main project is a mobile extraction shooter aimed at players in the gaming market.
Also known as LILA Games
Founders & leadership
LILA Games was founded in 2020 by Joseph Kim.
Investors · 9
Also in the syndicate · 4
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$6.3M disclosed across 1 round · 2021
▶$6.3MraisedDec 2021 · 6 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Paul LeydonDirector
- Joseph KimExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $8M
- Amount sold
- $6.3M
- First sale
- Dec 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2020
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Lila Games is a mobile game development studio headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Its debut title is Black, a mobile shooter game, which the studio has described as an ambitious free-to-play shooter. The company was founded by Joseph Kim, Paul Leydon and Avinash Pandey; Kim serves as Chief Executive Officer, Pandey as Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, and Leydon is listed as Chief Creative Officer.
The studio positions itself around a principle that "people can change," and states that it aims to develop its employees into world-class talent while also attracting global talent to India. Funding raised in the Series A round was earmarked for continued development of Black and for hiring additional developers for the Bangalore team. Public-facing content from the company includes founder interviews and podcast appearances covering topics such as the growth of the Indian games industry and the workplace environment at the studio.
Founding story
Lila Games was founded by Joseph Kim, Paul Leydon and Avinash Pandey around the principle that people can change, with a stated focus on developing employees into world-class talent and bringing global talent to India. Prior to Lila, CEO Joseph Kim worked in game publishing as SVP of Games & Digital Platforms at NBCUniversal and as Chief Product Officer at SEGA from 2015, where he led mobile game publishing including product management, analytics, production services and the title green-light process, and served as GM of SEGA's Demiurge studio, known for Marvel Puzzle Quest. He was earlier Studio Lead in FunPlus' Strategy Games division, leading development of the top-grossing mobile title King of Avalon: Dragon Warfare. Co-founder and CTO Avinash Pandey leads technical development, with prior experience on top-grossing titles.
Business model
Lila Games develops mobile games, with a debut free-to-play shooter title, Black.
The studio's debut title, Black, is a free-to-play mobile game.
Traction
The company disclosed $12.8 million in aggregate seed and Series A funding across 2020 and 2022 and reported a headcount in the range of 41 to 60 employees. Its debut title, Black, was in development at the time of the Series A announcement.
Latest developments
In March 2022 the company announced a $10 million Series A led by Rainfall to fund development of Black and hiring for its Bangalore team. Company-published content includes founder discussions of the studio's journey, responses to negative Glassdoor reviews and steps to improve the workplace environment, and a CEO appearance on the WTF podcast with Nikhil Kamath discussing the future of gaming in India.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
An India-based mobile games studio operating in the free-to-play mobile shooter category, backed by games-focused investors including Bitkraft Ventures, Galaxy Interactive, Rainfall, Sequoia Capital and Krafton.
Go-to-market
Mobile game players, with the debut title aimed at the mobile shooter genre.
Geography
Headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, where its development team is based.
History
The studio raised $2.8 million in seed funding announced in November 2020, led by Bitkraft Ventures with participation from Galaxy Interactive and angel investors. In March 2022 it announced a $10 million Series A led by Rainfall, with participation from Bitkraft Ventures, Galaxy Interactive, Sequoia Capital and Krafton, intended to fund development of its first game, Black, and expand its Bangalore-based development team.
Risks & controversies
The company's founders have publicly addressed negative Glassdoor reviews of the studio, discussing the feedback and steps being taken to improve the workplace environment.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Founder mafia
2 people who came through LILA Games went on to found or lead other companies.
Competitors · 3
by search overlapCompanies competing with LILA Games for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsLila Games announced a $10 million Series A led by Rainfall with participation from Bitkraft Ventures, Galaxy Interactive, Sequoia Capital and Krafton, to fund development of its debut mobile shooter Black and hire more developers for its Bangalore team.
$10M source ↗
Mobile games start-up studio Lila Games secured $2.8 million in seed funding led by Bitkraft Ventures, with participation from Galaxy Interactive and angel investors including Machine Zone co-founder Mike Sherrill, Super Evil Megacorp CEO Kristian Segerstrale and former CMUNE CEO Ludovic Bodin.
$2.8M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Lila Games raises $10m in Series A funding | GamesIndustry.bizgamesindustry.biz · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does LILA Games do?
- Bangalore-based mobile game studio building Black, a free-to-play shooter, backed by Bitkraft, Galaxy Interactive and Sequoia.
- Who founded LILA Games?
- LILA Games was founded by Joseph Kim in 2020.
- Who are LILA Games's investors?
- LILA Games's investors include Bitkraft Esports Ventures, BITKRAFT Ventures, Galaxy Interactive, Krafton, Rainfall Ventures.
- How much funding has LILA Games raised?
- LILA Games has disclosed $6.3M raised across 1 round.
- Where is LILA Games headquartered?
- LILA Games is headquartered in Santa Clara, US.