Pixel P&L: Disney vs AI, Tencent Court Win, Gaming Strike Over

Welcome to another Pixel P&L edition. This issue takes 6 minutes to read. If you only have one, here are the 5 most important things:

• We recently hosted LightFury Games’ co-founder Anurag Banerjee in our Pixel P&L podcast recently — insights about their strategy below.

• Disney and Universal sue Midjourney for copyright infringement, calling it a "bottomless pit of plagiarism"

• Tencent wins major court case against content leaker, strengthening IP protection as the company expands globally.

• SAG-AFTRA ends 11-month video game strike after securing AI protections deal with major studios.

• Sony reportedly plans PlayStation 5 price hikes in India next month — full pricing details below. 

Let's get into it.

LightFury Games Targets Cricket's Digital Future With $8.5M Bet

LightFury Games is betting that cricket's billion-fan global audience is ready for a new kind of mobile gaming experience, one built from the ground up for competitive esports rather than casual play.

The Mumbai-based startup has raised $8.5 million to develop "E-Cricket," positioning itself against established players like Real Cricket and WCC in India's crowded cricket gaming market. But co-founder Anurag Banerjee believes existing titles have missed cricket's strategic essence, he said in the most recent Pixel P&L podcast episode.

"There was definitely a big gap in the market," said Banerjee, whose resume includes leadership roles on Assassin's Creed at Ubisoft and Batman Arkham Origins at Warner Brothers. "Cricket 2007 was a long time back and we are using the same principles and philosophies as of today as well. We have not innovated in that space."

LightFury's differentiation strategy centers on competitive gaming integration designed from day one. Unlike competitors who treat esports as an afterthought, the company is engineering proprietary gameplay mechanics specifically for tournament play. "We are building all the tools and the requirements into the game from the get-go itself so that it lends itself very well" to professional competition, Banerjee explained.

The startup has assembled what Banerjee calls "probably one of the best teams if not the best team in India right now," including veterans from EA's Sims franchise and multiple Assassin's Creed titles. This represents part of a broader knowledge transfer trend as India seeks to establish AAA gaming credibility.

LightFury is also pioneering mobile cloud gaming integration through Amazon GameLift Streams, promising console-quality graphics across any device. 

The company currently targets an early 2026 launch, betting that its esports-focused approach can capture market share in a genre where previous attempts at premium cricket gaming have struggled to gain significant traction outside India.

Listen to the full interview on the Pixel P&L podcast.

Tencent Wins Court Case Against Game Content Leaker

Chinese gaming giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. secured a legal victory against a content leaker who illegally obtained and distributed unreleased material from its popular mobile game Peacekeeper Elite, the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile.

A court ruled that defendant Li Moumou, operating under the alias "Xiaopang Commentary," infringed intellectual property rights by datamining and reverse-engineering the game to extract unannounced content for financial gain. The defendant was ordered to issue a public apology, cease all infringing activities, and pay undisclosed compensation to Tencent.

The ruling reinforces Tencent's aggressive approach to protecting its gaming intellectual property as the company expands its global footprint. The decision comes as Tencent recently invested €1.16 billion ($1.25 billion) in French gaming company Ubisoft Entertainment SA, helping the Assassin's Creed publisher established a new subsidiary focused on expanding its major franchises across multiple platforms.

⚖️ On Our Radar: Disney vs. Midjourney Copyright Showdown

Could this be the legal battle that finally defines AI-generated content boundaries? Entertainment giants Disney and Universal are suing AI image generator Midjourney, calling it a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" for generating unauthorized images of characters like Darth Vader, Minions, and Shrek.

Unlike previous artist-led class-action suits against AI companies, this case brings unprecedented legal firepower. Disney and Universal's virtually unlimited resources represent a different category of opposition entirely, one that could reshape how AI platforms handle copyrighted material.

The lawsuit argues Midjourney functions as a "virtual vending machine" producing "endless unauthorized copies" without permission or compensation. The companies claim they asked Midjourney to stop, but the platform instead released more advanced versions.

With Midjourney expanding into video generation, the stakes are rising fast. Will this landmark case force fundamental changes to AI business models, or spark an industry-wide reckoning about generative AI's legal foundations?

⚡Quick Bytes

Sony Reportedly Planning PlayStation 5 Price Hike in India

Sony is reportedly preparing to raise PlayStation 5 prices in India next month, with the digital edition potentially increasing from ₹44,990 to ₹49,990 and the disc version from ₹54,990 to ₹58,990, according to High Chaos Run. The Japanese electronics giant hasn't confirmed the price hike, which would mark another adjustment since the console's 2020 launch amid global inflation pressures.

U.S. Actors' Union Ends Video Game Strike After AI Protections Deal

U.S. actors' union SAG-AFTRA ended its strike against video game companies after reaching a tentative deal on artificial intelligence protections. The union instructed members to return to work immediately. The strike against studios including Electronic Arts and Epic Games had lasted nearly 11 months over AI safeguards and working conditions.

Hong Kong Bans Taiwanese Mobile Game Over Secessionist Content

Hong Kong police banned Taiwanese mobile game "Reversed Front: Bonfire" for allegedly promoting secessionist agencies and advocating armed revolution against communist regimes. Authorities warned residents who downloaded the game face potential legal charges and jail time. The game, removed from local app stores, was developed by ESC Taiwan, described as anti-Chinese Communist Party volunteers.

⚔️Side Quest

📺 Watch: Phil Spencer and Jeff Rubenstein discuss Xbox's 2025 roadmap, covering upcoming games like Avowed and Clockwork Revolution, the ROG Xbox Ally handheld partnership, and plans for Xbox's 25th anniversary in 2026. A straightforward conversation about the platform's direction and business growth.

🎮 Play: Dune Awakening offers large-scale 3rd person combat mixing infantry and vehicle warfare in a survival MMO setting. Funcom builds on their Conan Exiles experience with improved mechanics and scope.

📚 Read: Stefano Petrullo from Renaissance PR discusses the evolving relationship between game developers and journalists, covering review embargoes, crisis management, and securing coverage in an oversaturated market. Offers practical insights into how PR strategies have adapted to fewer journalists, more games, and changing media landscape dynamics.

💡Did You Know

A Twitch streamer named PerriKaryal has beaten multiple Elden Ring bosses using nothing but her brain! She wears an EEG cap that detects her brain activity and converts specific thought patterns into gamepad inputs, essentially creating a "mind control" gaming setup. The challenging part? There's a full one-second delay between her thoughts and the game's response, meaning she has to predict enemy attacks a whole second before they happen. It took her over 14 hours of streaming (plus additional training) to defeat Malenia using this brain-computer interface, but she describes the experience as surprisingly "meditative." With a Master's degree in psychology, she's now working to adapt her setup for other consoles, potentially bringing mind-controlled gaming to Nintendo Switch and even mobile phones.

📜 Quote of the Day

Was this forwarded to you? Sign up for free here. 

We read every email! Share your feedback by hitting reply.

Discover the Trends Shaping Tomorrow

Art, music, sports, entertainment, movies, and many other subjects—these elements define who we are as a society and how we express ourselves as a culture. Take a deep dive into the topics shaping our shared norms, values, institutions, and more.

Sign Up Now