India’s gaming moment: From a nation of players to a global creative powerhouse
Sridhar Muppidi, chairperson, Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), summarises that the 2020s could be the decade when India redefines its place in the global creative economy. WAVES marks the beginning of that journey- India’s declaration that it’s ready to lead, not just follow.
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By Sridhar Muppidi
A $100 billion opportunity knocking on India’s doorstep
India is standing today on the brink of a gaming revolution. With over 550 million gamers, including 175 million paying users, we are no longer just a huge gaming market, we are on track to become the next global hub for gaming innovation.
Yet, the real opportunity is not in playing games made elsewhere, we should be creating them. We should be building the next generation of globally loved games — imagined, designed, and scaled from India. The next PUBG, Genshin Impact, or Roblox could (and should) be born here.
Thanks to our digital strengths - affordable data, a mobile-first generation, and a young, tech-savvy population which has already created a strong foundation for growth. Now, with the right investments in infrastructure, talent development, and global partnerships, India can transition from being a market of gamers to a powerhouse of game creators.
The race is on, and India must lead, not follow.
WAVES: India’s Strategic Debut on the Global AVGC Stage
The launch of WAVES, the World Audio-Visual Entertainment Summit, by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra, marks India's bold, strategic entry into the global AVGC-XR sector.
WAVES is more than just a festival, it is India’s declaration of creative leadership. It brings together global investors, studios, creators, and policymakers with an aim to position India as a serious contender in the global entertainment and gaming arena.
At the centre of this movement is the WAVES Game Jam, curated by GDAI- a platform where India's brightest young talents built original, culturally resonant games. It’s a launchpad for the next generation of Indian game developers, with winners gaining access to mentorship, incubation, and career opportunities through GDAI’s ecosystem.
Infrastructure that Inspires: Indian Institute of Creative Technology
For far too long, India's game developers have lacked integrated ecosystems. This challenge has now been met with the recent announcement of the India International Creative Town (IICT), the 240-acre global-scale hub in Mumbai, co-developed by the MIB and the Maharashtra government, which will surely redefine the landscape.
IICT offers not just offices and studios, but also training institutes, incubation centres, co-working hubs, all designed with inputs from leading industry voices. This integrated space will unify India’s fragmented creative industry and allow creators to go from idea to global IP without leaving Indian shores.
With GDAI’s partnership with FICCI, the industry is now fully aligned with policymakers to ensure IICT becomes a world benchmark and not just another infrastructure project.
The Talent Multiplier: Opening India to the World
One thing holding India's gaming rise is the absence of international talent. While our IT sector became a global force by attracting and collaborating with foreign experts, gaming has remained mostly local. While Zynga, Scopely, EA have games owned by their Indian arms, we also have Studios like Ubisoft and Rockstar that run backend operations in India but their core creative leadership is still abroad. It’s time to change that.
GDAI advocates for:
•Fast-track visas for global gaming talent
•Hiring incentives for studios bringing in international creators
•Partnerships with top universities for education and research exchange
The formula is simple- skill transfer + global collaboration will give us world-class IP. India's developers can compete with the best, if given the exposure.
Capital to Scale: Gaming Needs Its FDI Moment
India’s indie and mid-size studios are rich in talent but starved of capital. Gaming must be given the same investment priority that India extended to electronics, manufacturing, and digital services including:
•100 percent FDI permission
•Single-window clearances
•Tax incentives for global gaming investments
This can unleash a wave of capital that drives job creation, IP development, and global exports. This would also encourage international gaming giants to set up full-scale development labs and co-production ventures in India, not just outsourcing arms.
India is poised to attract billions in global gaming investments but policy speed and clarity will determine whether that capital flows here, or to competing hubs like Vietnam or Turkey.
Leveling the Field: Urgent Tax Reforms for the F2P Economy
India’s free-to-play (F2P) developers, who power much of the mobile gaming ecosystem, face an unsustainable tax burden. Between 18% GST and 6% Equalisation Levy on digital ad spends with platforms like Google and Meta, Indian studios pay 24% more than their international competitors for user acquisition.
GDAI has proposed targeted reforms:
•GST input credits for export-focused gaming firms
•Waivers on Equalisation Levy for startups
•Support for Indian adtech platforms to create competitive alternatives
Without tax reforms, India risks a dangerous brain drain and lost opportunity for the country- with studios migrating to more favourable tax jurisdictions.
Skilling for the Future: Making gaming a eational Educational priority
India’s greatest advantage, its youthful population, needs structured, industry-ready education pathways. Today, game development courses are scattered, outdated, or non-existent and are often misaligned with industry needs.
GDAI’s roadmap calls for:
•Introducing game development electives across IITs, NITs, IIITs
•Establishing 10 new NID-like national institutes focused on gaming and digital arts by 2027
•Developing state-central partnerships to create academic programs for game design, narrative design, VFX, and monetisation training
•Industry aligned curriculum and continuous educator upskilling programs
By formalising gaming education, India can nurture the next generation of creators capable of building globally competitive IPs from the ground up.
To summarise, the 2020s could be the decade when India redefines its place in the global creative economy. WAVES marks the beginning of that journey- India’s declaration that it’s ready to lead, not just follow.
With the right mix of policy, infrastructure, education, and international collaboration, the WAVES initiative can propel India into the league of top gaming nations like the US, China, and South Korea.
India can become the Silicon Valley of game development, a place where stories are told, worlds are built, and the future of play is imagined.
As GDAI, we are proud to play a catalytic role in this transformation, ensuring that every Indian game developer has the tools, access, and opportunity to go global.
Sridhar Muppidi is the chairperson, Game Developer Association of India (GDAI).
