Move over, God of War and Prince of Persia. Developers are now increasingly focusing on video games rooted in Indian culture and mythology, which is a significant slice of what they call the $1-billion ‘eastern myth’ market.
“For too long, India has let others tell its stories… Look at what happened with Kung Fu Panda or The Jungle Book. Western studios took Eastern culture, sanitised it, and sold it back to the world,” said Nicolas Granatino, executive chairman of Tara Gaming, a studio that is making The Age of Bhaarat, a ‘fantasy’ game deeply rooted in a historical epic.
The Age of Bhaarat is currently pre-revenue, as it is in the production phase, but Granatino said the market potential is massive. “The recent success of Black Myth: Wukong (the action game developed by Game Science, a Chinese game company, generated $1 billion revenue in just a few weeks of its launch in 2024) proved that the world is starving for non-Western mythology,” he added.
Just to give an idea, if The Age of Bhaarat were to generate even a fraction of what Black Myth: Wukong did, it would still make over $150-$200 million in revenue, as per Granatino.
This would make The Age of Bhaarat “one of the most profitable media assets ever created in India in such a short time”, as per Granatino.
Global Exportable IP
We’ve already seen early proof of concept. Raji: An Ancient Epic, an action-adventure game launched in 2020, demonstrated that an Indian mythological narrative, when executed with global-quality design and art direction, can resonate internationally. “Its success has paved the way for more ambitious follow-ups, including Raji: Kaliyuga, which is keenly anticipated.
What’s important is that these games are not positioned as ‘Indian games for Indians’, but as global games inspired by India. That distinction is critical if India wants to build exportable gaming IP rather than niche cultural products,” said Akshat Rathee, co-founder and MD of NODWIN Gaming, a leading Indian esports and gaming company.
“Indian culture is incredibly rich in traditions, values, heritage and so many tales full of moral lessons. The beauty of Indian culture is taught less and discovered more for millions of people every year. We want our gameplay to reflect this discovery,” said Vidhit Mehta, founder and CEO of Shortgun Games, another homegrown development studio that is working on a game based on Indian mythology.
With a combination of initial game sales ($46.7 million), in-game purchases ($14 million), additional planned downloadable content ($6 million) and transmedia content strategies (OTT licensing, merchandise sales, etc), Mehta estimates $66 million in gaming revenue from Shortgun Games. Last year, the Mumbai-based studio raised $1 million in seed funding. “We plan to raise more in our next rounds of funding,” added Mehta.
Indian mythology and folklore represent one of the richest narrative ecosystems in the world, and they offer enormous creative potential for interactive storytelling. However, for such games to succeed, as per Anurag Choudhary, founder and CEO of homegrown mobile game publisher Felicity Games, they must also meet global standards of gameplay, retention, and production quality. “When done right, culturally rooted content can travel internationally, not as niche products, but as universally engaging experiences with a distinctive identity,” he added.
Agreed Kashyap Reddy, CEO and co-founder of Metasports, a mobile-first competitive sports gaming studio. “When used thoughtfully and not superficially, Indian stories and archetypes can power deeply immersive and globally appealing experiences. The opportunity is not to Indianise games, but to build original worlds that feel authentic, confident, and universal at the same time,” he added.
Games rooted in Indian culture will succeed only if they are good games first, as per Sagar Nair, head of incubation at LVL Zero Incubator, an execution-focused game incubator. “Players don’t engage with a title because of its cultural inspiration alone, they engage because of strong mechanics, satisfying progression systems, and compelling challenges. Cultural elements should enhance the experience, not compensate for weak gameplay,” he added.
AAA Math
Globally, a modern narrative-driven AAA game can cost anywhere between $30 million and $70 million to develop, depending on scope and production complexity. In the video game industry, AAA is a term used to classify games produced or distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher, which typically have higher development and marketing budgets than other tiers of games.
If we apply a purchasing power parity (PPP) and cost-of-living correction for India – factoring in lower labour costs but accounting for imported technology, middleware, global quality assurance, and marketing, an Indian studio could realistically aim to build a comparable AAA experience in the range of $15-$25 million. “The logic is straightforward — core development costs can be optimised locally, but global-quality animation, engine licensing, sound design, localisation, and international publishing still require substantial capital,” added Rathee of NODWIN Gaming.
Another major challenge facing the sector today is that there are not enough developers having the requisite skills and experience, especially in areas like game design, as per Sridhar Muppidi, chairperson of the Game Developers’ Association of India (GDAI). “We need introduction of game development education in colleges/universities, we need incubators and skill development programmes to be supported by both the Central and state governments, and the private sector,” he added.