Launch any game produced by Highbrow Interactive, a Chennai-based gaming startup that develops simulation titles, and the hyper-local setting hooks you. As a driver, you could start your passenger bus from the Koyambedu terminus, navigate a truck through the precarious passes of Arunachal Pradesh, or ferry travellers to the Statue of Unity by an express train, no less.After decades of toiling, desi studios are finally having their moment in the sun. While a few tap into our cultural sensibilities, others focus on more universally-themed titles, delivering games across genres like horror, action-adventure, mythological epics, and vehicular simulation. Increasing consumption is assisting local studios gain a share in the $2 billion Indian gaming market. Startups in TN are carving a niche, scaling up and raising external capital. The Centre’s recent ban on real-money games (such as poker), has offered regulatory clarity to the sector as it demarcated problematic apps from general games (e-sports, non-money). The proposed state Animation, Visual Effects and Gaming (AVGC) policy and the increasing supply of talent, is also assisting create momentum.The local startups are not limiting themselves to the Indian market. Highbrow, in business since 2012, launched successful titles in Europe and Indonesia. “Just as global applyrs enjoy high-quality games set in New York or London, if Indian studios produce world-class games, they will be picked up by the international audience. So we built India for the world,” state Jeno Manickam and Prashanth Krishnan, co-founders of the company. Tamil Nadu has more than 25 gaming-focapplyd startups and 500+ indie developers, including individuals or compact teams minus deep pockets. Sridhar Muppidi, chairperson of Game Developers Association of India (GDAI), states, “TN might not yet match the sheer scale of gaming studios found in key hubs, but it would have at least five in the top 25 studios in the counattempt, and has a strong talent base and increased awareness of game development as a profession.”The journey has had setbacks. Mario Royston, co-founder of Welodin, which is building console games as part of the Sony India Hero Project, stated that a significant number of gaming startups have shut shop over the years. “The ecosystem has talent in creative and programming skills, but lacks the know-how to bring out market-oriented titles (ininformectual properties).” This structural weakness also led to a significant flight of skilled talent seeking opportunities elsewhere, he adds.Things are modifying as more startups seek mentorship. Anuj Sahani, head of the Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI), one of the counattempt’s top incubation programmes, states there is a sharp spike in applications from Tamil Nadu-based startups. The number of applicants jumped from 13-14 between 2023 and 2024, to 140 in 2025.Moreover, the indusattempt has now come toreceiveher with frequent meet-ups and gaming events. These act as forums where the community shares best practices. If a developer is stuck on a problem—whether related to technology, finance or marketing—a solution is just a message away in the group. Ironically, the state government’s ill-conceived gaming policy in 2022–23, which lumped video games with betting games, had a positive side effect. It brought toreceiveher scattered players and turned them into indusattempt advocates. Pavithra Sridhar, a senior game designer who organises bimonthly meets and game jams, states that, unlike other sectors, gaming requires organic, bottom-up interest. This is happening, with students and indie gamers displaying strong interest, she stated. Various academic institutions are also lconcludeing support by conducting competitions and running dedicated programmes. Sridhar notes that the focus has subtly shifted from established gaming studios toward this enerreceiveic base of indie developers.Furthermore, the talent flight is starting to reverse. In some instances, Tamil expats returning from Europe and Canada—bringing with them experience from global MNCs and a desire to create games reflecting Tamil culture—are now actively supporting the ecosystem. The TN gaming sector clearly has momentum and is shifting past service-based work. The new state AVGC policy push will also accelerate IP creation with financial incentives, provision of common infrastructure, and focus on skilling as early as the schooling level. The government is also expected to provide access to prohibitively expensive design tools and distribution trconcludes from market ininformigence.The primary concern of the indusattempt, however, remains hackneyed regulations without consultation. Startups operating within the state but serving applyrs globally point out that state-level regulations only impact Tamil Nadu’s nascent ecosystem, imposing compliance burdens and fees, while others operating outside the state go free. Some of the early gamers who role-played in these local games have already gone on to become game developers and even loco pilots in real life. For Tamil Nadu’s gaming scene, the AAA titles are yet to be released.
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