\n
One of those was Detective Dotson by Masala Games, based in Gujarat, about a failed Bollywood actor turned detective.<\/p>\n
Industry veteran Shalin Shodhan is behind the game and tells BBC Asian Network this focus on unique stories is \u201cbucking the trend\u201d in India’s games industry.<\/p>\n
He wants video games to become an \u201cinteractive cultural export\u201d but says he’s found creating new intellectual property difficult. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere really isn\u2019t anything in the marketplace to make stories about India,” he says, despite the strength of some of the country’s other cultural industries.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think about how much intellectual property there is in film in India, it is really surprising to think nothing indigenous exists as an original entertainment property in games,” he says. <\/p>\n
“It\u2019s almost like the Indian audience accepted that we\u2019re just going to play games from outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another game shown during SGF was The Palace on the Hill \u2013 a “slice-of-life” farming sim set in rural India.<\/p>\n
Mala Sen, from developer Niku Games, says games like this and Detective Dotson are what \u201cIndia needed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that there are a lot of people in India who want games where characters and setting are relatable to them,” she says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Outerloop<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nProject Dosa is a classic tale of giant robots, cooking, and battling lawyers<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
Games developed by South Asian teams based in western countries have been finding critical praise and commercial success in recent years.<\/p>\n
Venba, a cooking sim that told the story of a migrant family reconnecting with their heritage through food, became the first game of its kind to take home a Bafta Game Award this year.<\/p>\n
Canada-based Visai Games, which developed the title, was revealed during SGF as one of the first beneficiaries of a new fund set up by Among Us developer Innersloth to boost fellow indie developers.<\/p>\n
That will go towards their new, unnamed project based on ancient Tamil legends.<\/p>\n
Another title awarded funding by the scheme was Project Dosa, from developer Outerloop, that sees players pilot giant robots, cook Indian food and fight lawyers.<\/p>\n
Its previous game, Thirsty Suitors, was also highly praised and nominated for a Bafta award this year.<\/p>\n
Games such as these resonating with players worldwide helps perceptions from the wider industry, says Mumbai-based Indrani Ganguly, of Duronto Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, people are starting to see we\u2019re not just a place for outsource work,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re moving from India being a technical space to more of a creative hub.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not 100% seeing a shift but that\u2019s more of a mindset thing. <\/p>\n
“People who are able to make these kinds of games have always existed but now there is funding and resource opportunities available to be able to act on these creative visions.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
imissmyfriends<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSlice-of-life game Fishbowl was one of the first backed by Sony’s India Hero Project<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
British-Indian game developer Charu Desodt believes the success of titles such as Venba has been thanks to their commitment to authenticity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey make me feel very proud,” she says.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019re coming to a point where the industry is growing massively, both in terms of hours spent gaming but more importantly in the variety of the games. <\/p>\n
“When you have authentic local stories told from the heart, that\u2019s something everyone can relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charu says funding for “unique and quirky stories has been an issue” but recent successes such as Venba and Thirsty Suitors have shown there is an appetite for south Asian stories told by south Asian developers.<\/p>\n
Some of the industry’s biggest companies are also paying attention.<\/p>\n
Last year, Sony launched its India Hero Project with a goal to \u201cunearth and empower India\u2019s brightest game development talents\u201d via mentorship and funding.<\/p>\n
Its first cohort of games included slice-of-life games Fishbowl, museum exploration game Mukti and rhythm-action game Suri: the Seventh Note, inspired by mythical Indian stories from the Himalayas to Rajasthan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile french publishing giant Ubisoft\u2019s Indie Series has supported Thousand Star Studios in creating Aikyam \u2013 a Bollywood-inspired fantasy roleplaying game set to be released this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n