Dev Mukesh, founder of Indian company Banzan, took part in the second Moscow International Game Week. He spoke about changes in India’s games market and opportunities for cooperation with Russian companies, including co-publishing and adapting games, talent development and investment.
“India is a large market for us, and it is evolving rapidly. We are familiar with Western and Asian gaming ecosystems, and we were curious to see what is happening in Russia,” Mukesh said. In his view, the countries’ longstanding cultural and economic ties could provide a foundation for cooperation in the games industry.
According to Mukesh, Indian audiences have traditionally favored mobile games. Affordable mobile data enabled an entire generation to discover gaming on smartphones. Interest in PC and console games is now growing, and players are becoming more open to trying new genres. Mukesh also noted rising interest in virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR), as well as location-based gaming experiences.
“The market is going through a period of change and is ready to experiment with formats, platforms and genres again,” Mukesh said.
He identified co-publishing games, adapting them for local audiences and developing projects with stories rooted in the cultures of both countries as potential areas of cooperation with Russian companies. Another opportunity is to bring game stories and characters into other media. Beyond individual projects, Mukesh is interested in partnerships focused on talent development, mentorship and investment.
“I work to develop the gaming ecosystem, take part in an industry association and run a state-backed gaming accelerator. That is why I am interested in partnerships that go beyond company-to-company deals: developing talent, providing global mentorship, publishing and investment, as well as exchanges of knowledge, practices and people between countries,” he said.
The second Moscow International Game Week took place from October 29 to November 1 at Moscow Game Hub. More than 85 companies and participants from around 25 countries took part. The business program featured over 50 sessions with more than 250 experts. The theme, “Beyond the Industry,” brought together discussions on international market expansion and the connections between video games, animation, film, literature and other creative fields.
Moscow International Game Week was organized by the Agency of Creative Industries of Moscow under the Moscow Department of Culture.
