At the recently held Waves (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit) 2025 at Mumbai, a strategic MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed between the Game Developers Association of India (GDAI) and the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC – set up by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India), marking a significant milestone in promoting collaboration, innovation, and growth in India’s rapidly evolving gaming and esports ecosystem.
This strategic partnership is designed to enhance cooperation between the GDAI and SEPC, across key industry dimensions including investment facilitation, international promotion, industry engagement, skill development, and global market access.
As part of the MoU, GDAI and SEPC have committed to promote bilateral investment opportunities, joint ventures, and business delegations to stimulate economic and technological collaboration; build a consortium of companies to amplify India’s gaming and esports export capabilities; foster technological advancement in areas such as AR/VR, gamification, AI, metaverse, animation, and visual effects; drive skill development and training initiatives to strengthen India’s talent pipeline and industry readiness amongst other goals to showcase India’s potential in video gaming, esports, and related emerging technologies.
Speaking about the MoU, SEPC director general Dr. Abhay Kumar Sinha said, “This partnership is a key step towards boosting India’s services exports in the high-growth gaming and esports sector. By aligning with GDAI, we aim to unlock global market opportunities and strengthen India’s position as a leading exporter of creative and digital services.”
Sharing his views, GDAI chairperson Sridhar Muppidi said, “This MoU is a major step toward positioning India as a global player in the gaming and esports sector. By working together, GDAI and SEPC aim to unlock new economic opportunities and help Indian developers, designers, and entrepreneurs reach new heights. This partnership also reflects the government’s growing interest to recognise gaming and esports not just as entertainment avenues but as significant contributors to India’s digital economy and export potential.”
The MoU further encourages cooperation in software development, internet technologies, data analytics, and immersive technologies to empower start-ups, creators, and enterprises.
