The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade’s (DPIIT) Startup India initiative, in collaboration with WinZO, has announced the selection of 18 gaming startups to represent India at Gamescom Latam, reported The Print.
These startups were chosen from over 100 participating technology and gaming companies and technology colleges. The selection panel included Rohit Kumar Singh, Former Secretary to the Government of India; Suresh K Reddy, Indian Ambassador to Brazil; Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Co-Founder of Info Edge; Rajesh Raju, Managing Director of Kalaari Capital; and Dr. Umesh Mukhi, Associate Professor of Management at FGV – EAESP.
The selected games encompass a wide range of genres, from cultural and historical narratives such as “Tanhaji – The Maratha Warrior” and “Chola Empire,” to various other categories including cricket, mythology, puzzles, racing, physics-based challenges, and chess. These innovations come from major urban centres like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata, as well as smaller cities like Nashik. Among the winners is a student group from the Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology in Hyderabad.
This initiative is part of WinZO’s Bharat Tech Triumph program, which aims to create a global platform uniting leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, visionaries, and other stakeholders focused on promoting innovation and technological exports from India.
The winning companies will be sponsored by WinZO to showcase their products at the first-ever India Pavilion at Gamescom Latam. This event, to be inaugurated by the Indian Ambassador to Brazil in Sao Paulo next month, will provide game developers with the opportunity to explore and launch their games in Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America and the fourth-largest mobile gaming market, with approximately 4.6 billion annual mobile game downloads, reported Financial Express.
Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary of DPIIT, expressed his support for the initiative, stating, “Programs such as Bharat Tech Triumph are a welcome initiative where the industry joins forces with the government, catapulting the startup ecosystem forward. It gives me great pleasure to see that this program supports budding game developers, providing them with global exposure and the opportunity to represent India at Gamescom Latam, created and sponsored by WinZO and IEIC.”
Rohit Kumar Singh, Former Secretary to the Government of India, also praised the initiative, saying, “By investing in opportunities highlighting Indian creativity and technological prowess, WinZO is setting new benchmarks in the global gaming industry. This is truly the decade of India.”
Paavan Nanda, Co-Founder of WinZO, spoke about India’s innovative spirit, “India has long been a cradle of innovation, producing groundbreaking solutions and inventions that have not only addressed local challenges but have also gained global recognition. Our innovations have stood as a testament to India’s ingenuity and resourcefulness.”