- The Game Developer Association of India (GDAI) was officially launched.
- Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was part of Day 1.
- Day 1 also featured panel discussions surrounding multiple key highlights.
The India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2024, one of the world’s top three gaming industry events, began today at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). Day 1 of IGDC 2024 saw the official launch of GDAI, panel discussions, and more events, the details of which I’ll share in this space.
India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2024 Day 1 Highlights
Organized by the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), the 16th annual edition of the event saw over 6,000 participants part of the first day. The IGDC expo also opened with over 100 global and local gaming developers and publishers.
Mr. Sanjay Jaju addresses the media
A major highlight of day one was the addressing of the media by Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. Speaking about the establishment of the Indian Institute of Creative Technology, he added that “skill development in the Video Gaming Sector to get massive uplift” by this formation.
Mr. Jaju also mentioned the government’s commitment to supporting the gaming industry as a content-driven, creative field, distinct from the real-money gaming sector. He noted that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) would work closely with GDAI to develop a strong talent base to position India as a leader in the global gaming market.
Sri. Sanjay Jaju was also a speaker on Day One and spoke on the topic of Shaping the Future: Insights and Vision for the Game Industry.
GDAI has now officially launched
GDAI was formally launched at IGDC 2024, with Chairperson Sridhar Muppidi highlighting the association’s mission to “provide a cohesive platform for industry growth, policy advocacy, and strategic collaborations with various ministries to position India as a global leader in the gaming sector.”
With over 500 million users in India and generating close to ₹10,000 crore in revenue, the sector has expanded significantly but still faces regulatory challenges, including differentiation from real-money gaming and fragmented policy oversight. Mr. Muppidi stated that the GDAI believes that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting “is best suited to serve as the nodal authority for the gaming industry.”
Key Panel Discussions
The first day of IGDC 2024 included key panel discussions on topics namely Level Up Game Development Using Generative AI; Powering Global Gaming: Strategic Investments and Market Dominance; Web Games: The Game Changer Revolutionizing the Gaming Landscape and the panel on India Gaming Market Status Quo.
Notable speakers included Wilhelm Taht, Senior VP of Scopely, and Abhimanyu Kumar, Co-Founder of Naavik, who shared insights on A Call to Action and Lessons from India’s top games and MONOPOLY GO!, and Five Key Emerging Trends in Mobile F2P respectively to conclude day 1.
Read the highlights of last year’s edition of the IGDC:
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