The Ecosystem of Gaming Incubators and Accelerators in India

Indian gaming market revenue is expected to almost double between 2023 and 2028, from $3.1 billion to $6 billion. If you see new fantasy game platforms and rummy apps every day, it is because the market can accommodate scores of new platforms every day. India is already home to over 1400 gaming companies, including 500 gaming studios.

Rummy game rules say that a sequence can increase your chances of winning. For startups, the chances of success increase with the timely support of incubators and accelerators. Incubators help startups with their initial journey while accelerators help them see through their growth challenges. Given India’s booming gaming scene, it is no surprise that many incubators and accelerators specialise in nurturing gaming startups.

Incubators and Accelerators Landscape in Indian Gaming

With the growth of the gaming industry in India, gaming startups are increasing in number. As the growth journey continues, we can expect to see more startups along the way. For these startups to prosper, the incubators and accelerators will play a key role.

These gaming incubators and accelerators support the startups through their game development stage through mentorship, access to resources and necessary financial backing. One of the pioneers in this field is Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI).

KIGI assembles experienced game developers, gaming industry executives, along with industry experts to guide and offer insights to the upcoming game startups.

The Incubation Experience

Once a startup participates in one of these incubation programmes, they gain access to many benefits. KIGI programme participants, for instance, get access to Krafton’s internal resources, market research materials and other data-driven insights. Gaming startups use these insights to develop gaming concepts that are interesting for the Indian audience while retaining a global appeal.

The incubation experience also creates a window for the participants to raise funds from institutional investors. Participants must also keep in mind that many incubators and accelerators also set aside funds to promote promising startups themselves. ReDimmension Games from Nagaland and Shura Games from Bengaluru are among the startups incubated under the KIGI programme.

What are the Benefits for Early-stage Gaming Startups?

Gaming startups must know that there are a lot of government-driven initiatives to support these ventures. To begin with, the government has allowed 100% foreign direct investment in gaming. This has enabled Indian gaming startups to attract funds not only from domestic but foreign investors as well.

Under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, the government aims to fund 3600 startups through 300 incubators. It consists of support in the ideation and prototype development stage, as well as during trials, market entry and revenue generation stages. The Startup India Investor Connect is also an additional assistance to ensure the acceleration of ready startups. It acts as a dedicated platform to accelerate engagements between startups and investors.

Through incubations and accelerator programmes, gaming startups get support from early-stage ideation to the operational stage. Incubations can offer office space, education and mentoring, operational guidance, access to capital and many more initial benefits. These services can be available for a few months to even several years.

Incubator Case Study - Krafton India

KIGI has an incubation programme in place that runs for a duration of six months to a year. It incubates six to ten gaming startups in a year. Apart from the incubation support, the incubator also offers financial support of $50,000 to $150,000 to eligible startups. Startups also get AWS credits worth $10,000 and a premium account in App Magic.

A startup looking for incubation simply needs to fill out the online KIGI application form. The application is assessed by KIGI, and if selected, the startup can deliver the pitch to get selected.

Incubator Case Study - Google Play

Also available to Indian gaming startups is the Google Play Accelerator Program, Indie Games Accelerator. Any registered Google Play developer above the age of 18 can apply for this accelerator programme. Independent gaming startups and developers can apply for this 10-week accelerator programme and benefit from exposure to the global tech giant.

Participants get access to the best of Google’s programmes and products, along with their elite experts and cutting-edge technology.

Get Nurtured

With impressive growth forecasts and a high growth trajectory, Indian gaming is poised for tremendous transformations in the future. With the supply side yet to fully mature, there is room for more players to emerge in the market. Be it an app with out-of-the-box rummy game rules or a traditional rummy or poker app with a unique experience, the Indian market continues to be promising. On the other hand, there are no limits to the uniqueness and creativity one can explore through a fantasy game idea.

Developers now have government, private as well as international incubation and acceleration support to fulfil their startup ambitions in gaming.