Indian animation and VFX studio 88 Pictures has launched a new gaming division, 88Games, marking it’s foray into the game development sector. 88Games is set to develop indie games for PC and consoles by blending high-quality visuals with storytelling rooted in Indian rich and diverse history and culture.
To helm the gaming division, the studio has assembled a team of industry veterans, led by the studio’s founder and CEO Milind D. Shinde and game director Shiben Bhattacharjee. These experts bring years of experience from renowned global studios and are dedicated to developing games that capture India’s cultural heritage in creative ways.
88Games currently has three games in the pipeline. The first game, slated to be launched on Xbox and PlayStation, is scheduled to be revealed at the upcoming India Game Developers Conference (IGDC) 2024.
“88 Games represents the next step in our journey at 88 Pictures. Our team is dedicated to producing premium games that are not only visually stunning but also deeply rooted in our cultural identity,” said Shinde. “India, being one of the oldest civilizations in the world, has legends, stories, cultures, and art that have existed for thousands of years, forming a unique kaleidoscope that needs to be showcased to the world. It is an exciting challenge to translate the heritage of India into this new medium, with our mission to narrate stories based on this immense cultural capital through video games for the global audience.”
“At 88 Games, we see storytelling as a powerful bridge between cultures. Our mission is to create games that entertain while connecting players to India’s rich history and mythology. As India’s gaming market rapidly expands, there remains a significant gap in the availability of high-quality PC and console games that showcase the country’s unique cultural identity. 88 Games aims to fill that void, by providing an exceptional gameplay experience to immerse and contribute to the growth of the video gaming industry,” said Bhattacharjee.
According to the recently released ‘Levelling Up: State of India Interactive Media & Gaming Research FY’24’ report by Lumikai, India is a key producer of global Animation/VFX services, with the industry valued at US$1.6 billion in FY 24. The report also states that the nation’s gaming market added 23 million new gamers, bringing the total to 590 million gamers in FY 24. It is expected to surpass US$9.2 billion by FY 29, growing at a 20 percent five-year CAGR.
Recently, the Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, approved the establishment of the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality). Even in his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Modi urged Indian game developers and talent to make their mark internationally.
88 Pictures is known for its animation work on Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, as well as global projects like Gremlins: Secret of Mogwai, Transformers: The Earth Spark Season 2, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, and Fast & Furious: Spy Racers among others.