Applications
Handygo launches ‘pay-per-play’ mobile games
MUMBAI: Handygo has launched mobile games on “Pay per play” model for the first time in India with mobile operators Airtel and Hutch. ‘Pay per Play’ model facilitates mobile users to pay for only those games they play. User is informed about the charges and upon user’s acceptance, authentication is done. User is charged in advance for pre paid and billed for post paid connections. The price to play games under this model is attractively fixed at Rs 5. |
Handygo COO Gopal Krishna says, “We want to popularize mobile games so that users can play these games and yet pay a very minimum cost. We have priced the game at Rs. 5 per session to bring more and more users to play these games. It should indeed make the mobile gaming even more popular among the mobile users because of its price attractiveness unlike fixed price game download usually starting at Rs. 50.” The firm adds that the magnetism of this model is that users have multiple games to choose from, play any or all of them whenever and in whatever sessions they want. User is only charged per session irrespective of the time duration. |
Handygo CEO Praveen Rajpal says, “We have even ensured that users do not have to pay if they exit the game or if the session is inactive for 5 minutes. This would ensure better price practice.” The idea is simple. With ‘Pay per Play’ model user gets to play multiple games for a fixed price. For example, under this model, user can play 10 games at Rs. 5 per session as against Rs. 50 per one game download. User can come back and play whatever games they like again and again. “What is very striking about this model and the price point is that we have numerous users playing the same game or other games repeatedly, giving us recurring revenues” says Krishna. Handygo has plans of going global with this model. “Successful launch of this model is a combination of handygo’s technology expertise, extensive research on gaming price models and understanding of Indian mobile users” adds Rajpal. |
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
