IGPDA Group of Companies
India’s gaming industry has a new umbrella voice. The Indian Game Publishers and Developers Association, or IGPDA, has been formed with a clear brief: champion original Made-in-India IP, strengthen skills across the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) value chain, and mobilise policy support for studios to build globally competitive titles. The timing is not accidental. It arrives just days after Parliament cleared the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which reshapes the sector by outlawing money-based online games while promoting e-sports and social gaming.
The new law marks a decisive policy turn. It distinguishes between e-sports and social games on one side, and real-money titles on the other, with the latter prohibited nationwide. Several leading platforms have already halted money-based operations or announced wind-downs. Reuters and other outlets have reported an industry-wide reset, with wallet withdrawals allowed, new deposits restricted, and sports bodies reassessing sponsorships that were once commonplace. For many, this is a line in the sand and the start of a rebuild focused on consumer protection, transparency, and cultural production rather than wagering mechanics.
On the policy side, official notes and commentaries outline further contours. The bill was passed in late August, received presidential assent, and is being operationalised with an authority to oversee the ecosystem, advertise safe practices, and block illegal services when required. Readings from PRS India and government communications track the bill’s origin text and the government’s stated intent to promote good actors while shutting down predatory practices.
IGPDA frames itself as a unified industry platform that can work with governments, investors, and enablers to grow high-quality Indian IP and nurture teams capable of shipping complex, culturally rooted games. The association’s opening pitch is direct: it proposes Maharashtra as its first strategic state partner to help make Mumbai a global games hub through targeted policy support and investments. It also points to the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, a new centre of excellence backed by government and industry bodies, as a skilling and innovation anchor for AVGC-XR.
The tone of the launch statements is measured but confident. Kaustubh Dhavse, Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, sets out the state’s stance: “Our focus has been to drive strategic investments, foster global partnerships, and accelerate transformative infrastructure and technology initiatives in Maharashtra under the visionary leadership of Hon. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. We welcome this proactive initiative from the Indian games industry.”
Vishal Gondal, Founder and Chairman, nCore Games, stresses the platform effect: “For the first time, India’s developers and publishers have a unified voice. With the IGPDA, we can chart a future where Indian studios build iconic IP that competes globally.”
Nitish Mittersain, CEO, Nazara Technologies, links it to long-term IP creation: “Nazara’s vision has always been anchored on IP-led growth. The IGPDA aligns perfectly with this mission, ensuring Indian creativity thrives globally and creates sustainable long-term value.”
Amit Khanduja, CEO, Reliance Games, places emphasis on exporting culture: “With the launch of IGPDA, we are committed to advancing the Make in India, for the World vision by producing original AAA games that bring Indian creativity and stories to global audiences.” He adds that the focus is on producing “original Indian AAA content that can earn global recognition while keeping value creation rooted here at home.”
Roby John, Co-founder and CEO, SuperGaming, frames it as a cultural moment: “With Indus Battle Royale, we’ve proven Indian-made games can carry our culture and identity while appealing worldwide at scale. The IGPDA ensures Indian games take centre stage in the global gaming narrative.”
Other founders echo the through-line. Vikash Jaiswal of Gametion notes, “The success of Ludo King proves Indian games can reach the world.” Varun Mayya of Aeos Games adds, “The response to our upcoming debut title Unleash the Avatar proves India has always had the talent and tools to be a game development superpower.”
The founding cohort includes Nazara Technologies, Gametion, nCore Games, Reliance Games, SuperGaming, Tara Gaming, underDOGS Studio, Aeos Games, and Dot9 Games. It is a cross-section of mobile pioneers, console and PC-focused creators, and studios that have straddled both global IP and homegrown franchises. The association’s membership plan spans primary members such as developers, publishers, platforms, and partners across tools, academia, training, investors, and other enablers, creating a formal mechanism to represent the whole value chain.
There is an indie-friendly note too. Vaibhav Chavan of underDOGS Studio says, “With Mukti, we are not just bringing an original Indian IP to the global stage through an Indian lens, we are laying the foundation for building world-class franchises from India, stories that can travel across games, films and beyond. The IGPDA ensures indie studios like ours thrive and contribute to a strong ecosystem for Indian IP.”
For developers and publishers navigating the post-bill landscape, three threads stand out. First, a pivot from compliance firefighting to creative ambition. With money-based gaming off the table, strategy shifts towards premium and free-to-play titles without wagering mechanics, stronger live-ops ethics, and cultural IP that can travel. Second, a recognition that international standards for privacy, parental controls, and anti-harm design are not only regulatory hygiene but also competitive advantages. Third, the need to organise, share playbooks, and aggregate demand for infrastructure such as cloud services, testing, certification, and creator tools.
The IGPDA messaging aligns with these priorities. It positions itself as a forum to “mentor new studios, attract investment, and secure India’s rightful place on the global gaming map,” as Deepak Ail of Dot9 Games puts it. Kaval Bombra of nCore Games adds that the platform will help “unify the voice of the gaming industry and articulate its interests,” while Ninad Chhaya of Reliance Games says it is “about shaping futures” by empowering talent and strengthening the AVGC ecosystem.
There is also an explicit cultural argument. Author and Tara Gaming co-founder Amish Tripathi cuts to the chase: “India gets very little of the pie,” and building our own games based on our own culture can both bring revenue home and export Indian stories. That sentiment mirrors the policy thrust to nurture e-sports and social games while curbing the harms associated with money-based play.
IGPDA’s proposed partnership with Maharashtra will be watched closely. If the state leans in with a predictable policy stack, fast-track clearances, and incentives for studios to set up shop, the Mumbai region could consolidate as a production hub that blends creative talent, financing, and distribution. The reference to the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies as a centre of excellence suggests a longer-term pipeline for specialised skills, from game design and engineering to narrative and performance capture.
The association plans its inaugural on-ground event in Mumbai towards the end of the year, bringing together developers, publishers, government, investors, and partners. Expect the conversation to be equal parts policy and product, with sessions on funding, production pipelines, distribution, brand collaborations, and internationalisation. In other words, the nuts and bolts of shipping durable IP, now framed by a legal regime that separates gaming for entertainment and sport from money-based play.
The bill’s rollout will still require careful reading of notifications, rules, and the remit of the proposed authority. Developers will want clarity on advertising norms, age-gating, and cross-border publishing. Publishers will look for interoperable rating labels and transparent enforcement. If those pieces fall into place, IGPDA could become the forum that translates policy into practice, and practice into exportable playbooks for studios across the country.