Leveling up: India's ambitious gaming incubator plans

India stands at a pivotal moment in its journey to becoming the “Gaming Nation of the World.” While the domestic gaming industry is still in its nascent stages, it is experiencing rapid growth. However, the real opportunity lies in advancing a “Made in India for the World” approach, positioning India to capture a substantial share of the $180-200 billion global gaming industry, as per a whitepaper authored by Deepak MV, Head- Nazara AI and Analytics and CEO of a Nazara subsidiary and Machaiah Kalengada, Project Head, Game Developer Association of India (GDAI).

The whitepaper is on behalf of GDAI which organizes IGDC and many other gaming initiatives for ecosystem development.

The gaming industry has emerged as the largest entertainment sector globally, outpacing both music and film in revenue generation and growth potential. This trend underscores gaming's increasing dominance and widespread appeal across demographics and regions. In 2023, the global gaming industry generated an estimated $188 billion in revenue.

India: The World’s Next Gaming Powerhouse – The "Made in India for the World" Vision

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the potential for "games made in India for the world," spotlighting gaming as a transformative sector with the power to share India’s rich culture, technology, and innovation with a global audience. To achieve this vision, India must move from being a consumer market to becoming a global producer of high-quality, world-class video games. With its vast cultural heritage, highly skilled tech talent, and a rapidly expanding economy, India is well-positioned to become the “Gaming Nation of the World”.

India as a Global Gaming Nation: Four Pillars of Strategic Impact

Business & Economic Growth: "Made in India for the World"

The gaming industry presents a powerful opportunity for economic expansion, transforming India into a global leader in IP-driven content. By creating original IPs, India can build a sustainable revenue stream, high-value jobs, and establish gaming as a key export sector. This shift could make gaming one of India’s biggest contributors to economic growth, with new jobs in game design, AI, animation, and development.

Culture & Soft Power

Gaming provides an unparalleled platform to showcase India’s heritage, mythology, and narratives on a global scale. By incorporating Indian cultural stories into game design, India can enhance its cultural influence, encourage tourism, and bring its values to the forefront. Like Bollywood, gaming can evolve into a powerful medium for storytelling, amplifying India's identity and creating global interest in its ethos and culture.

Education & Social Awareness

The gamification of learning has the potential to revolutionize education and public awareness efforts. Gaming can make education more engaging and accessible, improve literacy, and convey important social messages. By integrating gaming into educational and social campaigns, India can promote a more informed, engaged, and educated society, turning gaming into a tool for positive social impact.

Why Incubation is Essential for Gaming

Incubators serve as a platform for young game developers and studios, providing critical resources like game development tools, testing environments, and infrastructure. Specialized gaming incubators can guide these startups on creating video games for local and global markets, helping them overcome entry barriers and thrive.

1. Nurturing Early-Stage Startups

Gaming startups in India often struggle to secure investment, as the industry can be perceived as high-risk. Incubation programs can help by offering/ supporting early-stage funding, connecting startups with investors, and reducing financial barriers that prevent innovative projects from reaching the market.

2. Bridging Funding Gaps

Game development requires a blend of technical, creative, and business skills. Incubators can bridge this gap by offering training and mentorship in game design, software engineering, art direction, storytelling, marketing, and monetization. This support is crucial in India, where formal education in game development is still limited.

3. Skill Development in a Multi-Disciplinary Field

Game development requires a blend of technical, creative, and business skills. Incubators can bridge this gap by offering training and mentorship in game design, software engineering, art direction, storytelling, marketing, and monetization. This support is crucial in India, where formal education in game development is still limited.

4. Building Networks and Market Access

Incubators provide a network of contacts, including publishers, investors, technology providers, and other game developers, which are critical for startups looking to scale. These connections grant access to distribution channels, collaborative opportunities, and mentorship from established players.

5. Support for IP Protection and Monetization

Incubation programs help startups understand the business side of gaming, including intellectual property (IP) protection, monetization strategies, and legal frameworks. This is particularly important for first-time developers who often overlook these areas but are essential for sustainable growth.

India’s thriving incubation ecosystem but gaming needs specialized focus India hosts over 1000 startup incubators, marking it as the third-largest incubator ecosystem globally, following the United States and China. This rapid growth—from just 20 incubators in the early 2000s—is attributed to supportive government policies, the “Startup India” initiative, formalized incubation policies, and the proliferation of academic incubators. Nearly half of all incubators are situated in Tier-I cities, while government programs such as the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) have established 56 Atal Incubation Centres (AIC) and 14 Atal Community Innovation Centres nationwide, further fueling innovation and entrepreneurship. While India's thriving startup ecosystem and extensive network of incubators, especially within academia, offer strong support for diverse sectors, these general-purpose incubators lack the specialized resources essential for gaming incubation.

To establish a thriving gaming ecosystem in India, specialized incubation programs are crucial. Unlike other industries, gaming combines creativity, technology, and interactive user experience, requiring unique support structures that general-purpose incubators may not provide.

India’s Current Incubation Landscape for Gaming

India's incubation ecosystem includes a few initiatives aimed at supporting game developers:

Current Landscape of Gaming Incubation in IndiaIMAGE, a Centre of Entrepreneurship (CoE), is a startup accelerator focused on Gaming, Animation, VFX, Computer Vision, and AI. This flagship initiative is a partnership between STPI-Hyderabad (under Government of India) and the Government of Telangana.

Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI):Launched by Krafton, this program provides funding, mentorship, and resources to Indian game developers, aiming to nurture the local gaming ecosystem.

With the gaming industry’s unique needs and India’s limited gaming-specific incubation programs, a more organized approach is necessary. Specialized gaming incubators would address the unique challenges of game development and empower Indian startups to compete globally. By offering targeted support, funding, skill development, and access to a global network, gaming incubators can be the foundation of a thriving ecosystem that positions India as a leading player in the gaming world.

Google's Indie Games Accelerator: This program supports small and mid-sized indie game developers by providing access to Google's resources, mentorship from industry experts, and networking opportunities.

PlayStation India Hero Project: An initiative by Sony to support Indian game developers through mentorship, significant funding opportunities, and technical support, tailored to the PlayStation platform.

Limitations of the Current Incubation Ecosystem

For a country of India's scale and potential, there is a clear need for more incubation programs with broader scope to support the gaming industry adequately. Despite the presence of some initiatives, the current incubation ecosystem in India has several limitations with reference to gaming.

Limited Coverage and Scale:

Many programs are small-scale and region-specific, lacking the nationwide reach needed to support India's diverse and widespread talent pool.

Resource Constraints: General-purpose incubators often lack the specialized tools, infrastructure, and expertise required to support comprehensive game development.

The Need for Comprehensive Gaming-Focused Incubation Programs

Provide End-to-End Support: Deliver resources spanning the entire game development lifecycle—from concept and design to production, marketing, and distribution—empowering developers with the tools they need to succeed.

Foster Collaboration: Establish strong partnerships among academia, industry, and government to build a robust support network for game developers.

Ensure Accessibility: Design programs that are accessible to developers across all regions, including underserved areas, to tap into India’s vast and diverse talent base