The International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to launch its first mobile game of cricket. This is at a time the ICC is trying to find ways to generate additional revenue, considering the fact that future TV broadcasting deals could not be as substantial as they are now. Cricket computer games have been around for some time, but this will mark the first occasion when the ICC produces a game itself and attempts to take a hefty chunk of the ever-growing gaming segment. The ICC's digital team will propose the concept to the chief executives' committee (CEC) during meetings that begin today in Harare, Zimbabwe. The proposal has already been considered previously, but now the ICC wants a green signal to invite developers to make the game. Initially, the game will be launched only in the mobile version. The fans will remember iconic games such as EA Sports' Cricket series and Codemasters' Brian Lara Cricket from the past years. Recently, some mobile cricket games have done well in this segment and if the ICC develops its own game, it would be a big moment. FIFA's long association with EA Sports is regarded as the best example, although it was discontinued in 2023. Nevertheless, obtaining rights to utilize players' actual names and faces might be problematic. The difficulty in obtaining licenses for all the players forced EA Sports to further produce the cricket games like 2007. The final version of the game even featured fictional names (S.Tendehar, Z. Kalm, S. Gungly etc) for some player. The ICC has player rights already for tournaments that it organizes, but apart from that, the ICC will have to negotiate new agreements with various boards and the World Cricketers' Association (WCA) for the general matches and domestic leagues. Also Read | IPL 2025: Teams That Dropped the Most Catches So Far Big Challenge: Acquiring Player Rights The WCA inked an agreement with Winners Alliance in early 2024, which is affiliated with Novak Djokovic's group of tennis players. Winners Alliance now represents deals for players in nations such as Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa. They are aware of the ICC's intention but have not indicated how they will act. It might become complicated. New reports by Australia's Telegraph and New Zealand Herald indicate that Cricket Australia (CA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) are already engaging in talks with players regarding player rights for matches. CA and NZC are having squabbles with the player associations of theirs regarding the Real Cricket application. For New Zealand, the board prepared an agreement with an alternative application within India, rendering the situation more complicated. WCA and Winners Alliance already signed an agreement with Real Cricket for player rights in August last year. India's mobile gaming market is gigantic. It was valued at about US$3 billion in 2024 and continues to grow rapidly. That's one big reason why the ICC wants to enter this space. A government official said that about 100 companies are already using players' names and images in other games without their permission. The players don't receive anything from this, although the games earn a lot of money. WCA and Winners Alliance are trying to put a stop to this and ensure players are paid. The ICC is aware that it has to make a deal with WCA. But their relationship has not always been smooth, and coming to an agreement might be difficult. Rights for Indian players will be extremely crucial too, but as India does not have a players' association, it will be even more challenging. Also, acquiring IPL franchise names has been viewed as crucial for the game's success. Initial negotiations suggests that IPL franchises are not interested in transferring their names to the ICC's game. The ICC recognizes a mobile cricket game as potentially generating a great revenue. They are planning for this because they don't foresee getting that same large broadcast deal again in the next round.