India Game Developer Conference 2024 in Hyderabad From November 13

Hyderabad: The 16th annual edition of the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) will be organised at HICC, Hyderabad from November 13 to 15, beckoning well over 5,000 attendees and 250+ speakers.

The Conference packs a punch with over 150 sessions. Marquee speakers of the likes of industry veteran Jordan Weisman have already confirmed to add depth to this much-awaited event. Jordan was the brain behind BattleTech, MechWarrior and Shadowrun, some of the RPG industry’s longest lasting franchises.

Speakers from Major gaming companies and investment funds have also confirmed their presence at iGDC 2024

In its amplified new avatar, IGDC will feature over a hundred booths spread across a large expo area. Lined up to keep the event riveted to core gaming, the Conference has the IGDC Awards Night, Indie Initiative, Policy Round Tables, Workshops and much more.

IGDC has always stood out for its hugely sought-after exclusive ‘Investor-Publisher Connect’ session. This year, the invite-only platform could attract over 100 investors and publishers. One the agenda are potential deals with studios and developers on the look-out for investment or publishing deals. Last year, the event had over 1,800 curated meetings with more than 70 investors and publishers.

The Expo’s Indie Zone will see 40 Indie developers showcase their skills and products, with 20 lucky ones getting free tables courtesy Microsoft Xbox. Indies are bound to grab this platform to impress with their games, access mentor café, connect and pitch to investors and publishers.

This year’s IGDC Awards takes it a notch higher with a newly instituted ‘International Game Award.’ Ten award categories and two special jury awards are on offer as usual. Nominees, announced on October 28, 2024, could watch out for the grand awards ceremony scheduled for November 14, 2024 in Hyderabad.

To help game / vertical slice creators who are currently unemployed, IGDC has proposed the Young Indie Scholarship Program. The plan is to eventually support at least 100 young developers every year with a starting batch of 25 this year. Selected applicants are assured an IGDC ticket, accommodation, travel expenses and a mentor. They will have to volunteer for a day at IGDC 2024.

Sridhar Muppidi, President, GDAI notes, “With over 442 million gamers and an industry growing at a staggering 30% annually, India’s vibrant youth, widespread smartphone adoption, and a booming digital ecosystem have made it one of the world’s fastest-emerging gaming markets. The world is now turning its gaze to India as the next big player in the global gaming arena.. Accelerating this growth further is the integration of VR, AR and metaverse into console and computer games besides governmental promotions. The India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) serves as the perfect platform for this thriving ecosystem, where industry leaders, developers, and innovators come together to collaborate, share insights, and shape the future of gaming in India and beyond.”

Unlike the United States and China, he says India’s gaming market is driven primarily by smartphones, which contribute to almost 90%. In the US, this share is only 37%. “The shift to multi-player gaming in the domestic market has only amplified the trend. The prospects for continued growth in the future has brightened with the spread of gaming through the hitherto unexplored vernacular languages and Indian themes,” says Sridhar.