Gaming
GEMS 2020: Indie game developers continue to rise and shine!
MUMBAI: When compared to the gaming scene in the U.S. and Europe, India's indie game development space is taking baby steps. But indie creators are making headway and getting noticed.
During the “Make in India: Indie Game Developers Speak" session at GEMS 2020, industry experts discussed various aspects of their indie game journey; right from their struggles during the Covid2019 pandemic to successfully launching games on various platforms while working from home. Apart from that, they gave insights on how to build a game from ideation to execution.
The concluding session of GEMS 2020, “included and game designer Avichal Singh, Xigma Games co-founder Manwani, Underdogs Studio founder and CEO, Lucid Labs founder Chirag Chopra, , CapeTitans Games co-founder and CEO Kayal and was moderated by Photon Tadpole studios founder and CEO Hrishi Oberoi.
Watch the session here:
The challenges that Indie game developers face are many. For one, they put double the effort as compared to any large-scale gaming company. Two, they work with limited resources. But through sheer talent, grit and passion – they are making a mark.
Take for instance Raji: An Ancient Epic which came out on Nintendo Switch and Steam and became a runaway hit. Nodding Heads Games co-founder Avichal Singh, the lead designer behind the game, shared how the team managed to collaborate on work in the middle of a lockdown.
“When the pandemic started, we had our deadline and we knew we had a crunch. We met our milestone and did not let go of the opportunity. Earlier, the programming team was in one room. But when the lockdown was imposed, we shifted our operations online to launch. That is when we realised how it has slowed down the entire process. Pandemic took a toll on the game’s development,” Singh rued.
Himanshu Manwani, whose Xigma Games recently released The Bonfire 2: Unchartered, experienced the same troubles. The process took double the time while working from home and doing quality analysis was very challenging. “The pandemic hit exactly at the time when we were about to launch the game when we actually needed to sit in one room and discuss. The quality of the game suffered,” he admitted.
Consequently, the game’s initial launch was met with its fair share of negative reactions from users who noticed the glitches during gameplay. However, Manwani continued to work on the issues, the team released a patch which perfected the wonky areas, and now they are getting positive feedback.
Watch more news on games: CapeTitans Games on bridging the gaps in game creation
Debasis Kayal is not a game developer but his company, CapeTitans, works closely with indie creators by investing money in their projects. He noted that the pandemic has given a lot of opportunities to the overall gaming industry. Many new companies were formed during this time. During the lockdown, more people got into gaming, and developers also got the time to explore creative fields.
“For indie game developers, influence or love has mapped towards creation. Some like mythology, ancient history, some like strategy, and accordingly they channelize their interests and passion through their work. The very first attempt that they did to roll out their game was out of love or being influenced by something,” said Vaibhav Chavan.
The Underdogs Studio founder stated that innovative ideas are the driving force behind this industry. He quipped: “Being indie is being artistic. Most of the ideas are already there in the market in some form or the other. It is the independent developers who with their artistic mind transform it into a game.”
Once you have your game conceptualised and developed, what comes next? Publishing a game doesn’t happen in a vacuum, developers need to study the current trends and determine the product’s marketability first, Chavan added.
Watch more news on games: GEMS: Experts on the future of live streaming in India
Because it all comes to naught if a developer’s labour of love flops in the market. Financial success is the stepping stone to other, bigger projects; so it’s important to keep the game’s commercial bankability in mind. Having said that, what drives an indie creator’s work is emotional validation, explained Chopra.
“We want users to have fun while playing our game. Ideas are mechanical stuff. For me, when the first idea hits, I try to work on the prototype and try to get feedback from my close peers. If the mechanics are fun at the early stage then there is a point of going ahead. The idea is to get beyond the mobile game developer,” he said
Ogre Head Studio founder and CEO Zainuddin Fahad joined the gaming industry when he was 19 years old. Cut to five years later, and he still wants to create a game that he can enjoy. Explaining his perspective, Fahad said: “My view is that the game should have a reflection of you and the developer should do whatever they wanted to do. The important question is whether you are happy enough while building the game or not and whether you have enjoyed it while developing the game.”
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
