Indian gaming piggy backs on celluloid

HYDERABAD, INDIA: Charting the cinema route to success, FXLabs a Hyderabad-based game company today launched a PC-based video game ‘Agni’ in the retail market.

Built around an Indian setting, the game has been developed at the firm’s labs in Hyderabad over the last two years. It is the first game to be completely developed in India in the PC medium category, the company claimed.

“Agni has been built with a budget of over Rs 8 crore. To achieve breakeven, we are looking to market the game to the US and UK markets,” said Sashi Reddi, founder and chairman, FXLabs.

“Catering to local tastes will give a huge impetus to the Indian gaming industry,” added Reddi.

The game will retail in the stores at a price Rs. 499 from Friday and will be available in about 225 premier retail chain stores.

According to Col S V Ramachandaran, regional director, Nasscom, Hyderabad, “The more localized, the more popular games will be. This is a good way of graduating in the market, which has about 70 per cent growth rate and is catching up very fast with penetration of Internet and mobile phones.”

The company has tied-up with Merscom, to market its games in Russia, Hungary and Poland, in local languages. As the market for such an Indian product would take time to develop, the company has in its pipeline games on movie themes in association with producers.

“Currently movies already have a fan base which we plan to capitalize on. This is the roadmap for the next few years at least and also less risky financially in comparison to products such as Agni,” said Reddi.

Besides Bollywood, the company has recently launched a game for the Telugu film ‘Jalsa’ on both PC and mobile platforms. “We have a network with Hindi and Telugu cinema and hope to launch a game every quarter,” said Reddi.

Apart from these Archie’s Riverdale Run, a game based on Archie comics will be launched on the console and PC platforms.

Agni features Malaika Arora Khan in the lead character and also has a promotional album. The game, which also won the FICCI BAF award for its content, will be available online on Zapak and Sify.

FXLabs has on its cards plans to enter the mobile space in gaming. “We are looking at options to enter the market in a viable manner without losing out to service providers. But it is a segment we are serious about,” added Reddi.

FXLabs has development centers in Hyderabad and Chennai in India. It has a business development presence in San Francisco and London.

(cmn@cybermedia.co.in)