What started as a messaging app aiming to challenge WhatsApp in 2012 has ended in an abrupt shutdown. Hike, once a unicorn with grand ambitions, is closing its operations after over a decade, citing India’s new ban on real-money gaming (RMG), regulatory roadblocks, and a business model that no longer made sense in this legal landscape.
From messaging star to gaming pivot
Hike began its journey as a youth-focused messaging app. Over time, it tried to build a super-app: stickers, localized content, unique chat features, all of which won it an audience. But the real pivot came when it launched Rush, a platform offering games like Ludo and Carrom with cash rewards. That shift toward gaming, with real money on the line, became central to its recent identity.
What changed: RMG ban hits hard
India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 banned all online gaming involving real-money stakes, regardless of whether the game is skill-based or chance-based. Background: concerns about financial risks, addiction, and social harm were cited by the government as major reasons. Once the law passed, nearly every player in the RMG space, including Hike, had to either shut down or evolve drastically.
Why Hike couldn’t stay
Rush, Hike’s gaming arm, pulled over 10 million users and generated hundreds of millions in revenue during its run. Even then, scaling globally would have required “a full reset,” and with capital, regulatory headwinds, and operational costs mounting, founder Kavin Bharti Mittal concluded that continuing was simply not worth it. The risk and effort had outpaced reward under the new legal regime.
What Hike leaves behind
A startup story that reflects both ambition and limitation. Hike won millions, investor trust, and carved a niche, but couldn’t wrestle with regulation.
Lessons for founders: regulatory clarity matters. If your business depends on borderline or banned activities, you’re riding a risky wave.
A reminder that pivoting late (from messaging to gaming) can help, but isn’t always enough when laws shift suddenly.
Hike’s shutdown marks the end of an era. It’s not just about loss; it’s about how policy can reshape entire industries overnight. For India’s startup ecosystem, this is a cautionary tale, innovation without regulatory stability is always vulnerable. As Mittal steps away, the question for future founders is this: build for the long game, or bet too close to the edge.
