MUMBAI: India has levelled up its presence in the global gaming industry with its pavilion at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. The showcase, inaugurated by India's consul general in San Francisco K. Srikar Reddy, puts the spotlight on the country's burgeoning gaming sector and its ambitions to become a worldwide content powerhouse.
The India Pavilion features an impressive roster of exhibitors, including established players like Nazara Technologies and WinzO, alongside plucky award-winning upstarts such as Wala Interactive, Brewed Games, Xigma Games, and Singular Scheme. These companies are demonstrating that India's gaming industry is no longer just pressing "play"—it's pressing ahead.
Several champions of the "Bharat Tech Triumph Season 3" challenge are also showcasing their wares, including Yudiz Solutions, Brahman Studios, and the whimsically named Over the Moon Studios. The pavilion serves as a matchmaking service of sorts, connecting Indian developers with global publishers, investors and potential collaborators.
Beyond gaming, the pavilion is drumming up interest for the upcoming World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (Waves), scheduled for May in Mumbai. This flagship event, organised by the ministry of information and broadcasting through the National Film Development Corp (NFDC), aims to position India as the "Content Hub of the World"—a lofty ambition for a country already producing films and television at an industrial scale.
The timing could hardly be better. GDC, running from 17 to 21 March, attracts the crème de la crème of the global gaming industry. By planting its flag at this influential gathering, India is signalling that its developers are ready to play in the big leagues.
For a nation long associated with outsourced IT services, the pivot to creative digital content represents a strategic shift. India's gaming companies are no longer content to be mere back-office operations—they're designing the games, creating the characters, and writing the storylines that could captivate players worldwide.
As one industry insider quipped, "India has been the world's back office. Now it wants to be its arcade too."
