The Waves Summit 2025, held in Mumbai, brought together India’s top minds in media and entertainment. The event focused on making India a global leader in the gaming industry. Creators, start-ups, tech leaders, and policymakers joined hands to discuss the future of Indian-made digital content.
‘Create in India Challenge’ Sparks New Ideas
One of the biggest highlights was the launch of the “Create in India Challenge.” The Indian government started this contest to inspire young developers to build original games based on Indian culture. Many of these developers studied at top engineering colleges like the IITs.
Roland Landers, CEO of the All India Gaming Federation, praised the initiative. He said, “I think ‘Create in India’ is about ideation and innovation. What we are seeing in the online skill gaming industry is a lot of both. Many founders are young engineers who have come up with truly innovative products.”
Zupee Sets an Example in Indian Gaming
The summit also spotlighted Zupee, one of India’s leading skill-based gaming platforms. The company became popular with games like Online Skill-Based Ludo. These games connect with Indian audiences through culture and tradition.
Ravi Shankar Jha, Director of Public Policy at Zupee, explained the company’s goal. He said, “Our mission has always been to bring culturally relevant games to the Indian mass audience. India has always been a land of games and stories, and we believe that with the right support, domestic developers can take Indian games to a global audience.”
Technology and Data Drive Gaming Innovation
The summit also showed how data is changing game development. Now, developers use data to improve graphics and create AI-based personalized content. These tools are helping deliver better experiences for users.
Gokul V Subramaniam, President of Intel India, spoke about this shift. He said, “Waves is an amazing opportunity because a lot of content creation involves audio and video, which is at the core of everything we do with data. Data is huge, and at Intel, we focus on several aspects of processors. Waves is bringing together the diverse range of data needed to make this possible.”
India Wants to Build Games for the World
India isn’t just focusing on local users. Industry leaders at the summit stressed the importance of exporting Indian games globally. They believe the country has the talent and resources to make this happen.
Ankit Kashyap, Chief Investment and Corporate Development Officer at M-LEAGUE, explained this global approach. He said, “Our thesis remains that we will create in India but build for the world. The idea is to leverage the talent and resources here to develop games that can be played globally. Games have the power to connect people, whether in Brazil, India, or the US.” He added that more government support could speed up progress.
Waves Summit Shows the Future of Indian Gaming
India’s gaming industry is growing fast. Events like Waves Summit 2025 help young developers, inspire innovation, and connect people. The summit clearly showed that India is ready to lead the global gaming space with homegrown talent and culturally rich content.
