Gaming industry body forms council to boost governance, policy advocacy

The Game Developers Association of India has formed a 21-member governing council to strengthen governance, policy engagement, skilling initiatives and original IP creation in gaming

The Game Developers Association of India (GDAI), the industry body representing the gaming sector, has constituted a 21-member council to strengthen operational governance and policy advocacy, while also focusing on employment generation and the development of original intellectual property (IP).

 

The members of the council include game development studios, publishing houses, distribution platforms, esports organisations, and technology service providers in the sector.

 

This governing council will focus on industry-ready skilling of talent, structured apprenticeships, and stronger incubation for studios, while engaging policymakers on taxation, responsible gaming, IP creation and protection, and ease of doing business.

 

“Together, these priorities are aimed at enabling Indian studios to create, own, and globally monetise original games, positioning India as a competitive global hub for game development,” the body said in a statement.

 

The council includes members such as Roby John of Supergaming, Keerti Singh of Hitwicket, Dayanidhi MG of Electronic Arts (EA), Deepak M V of Nazara Technologies, Akshat Rathee of Nodwin Gaming, Anuj Tandon of Bitkraft Ventures, among others.

 

“With the governing council in place, GDAI now has a strong leadership and execution engine to work alongside the Board. This structure allows us to translate industry priorities into action across policy engagement, talent development and ecosystem funding. Our focus is clear: enabling Indian studios to create and own original IP, scale globally, and position India as a competitive hub for game development,” said Sridhar Muppidi, chairperson, GDAI.

 

The focus on the council comes at a time when the government is encouraging the growth of the orange economy in the country.

 

The Economic Survey highlighted that the media and entertainment (M&E) sector was a major pillar of the services economy, covering audio-visual production, broadcasting, digital content, animation, gaming, live entertainment, and advertising.

 

“The Indian gaming market is one of the largest consumer markets in the world, and we see a large opportunity. As part of the council, I will work to shape frameworks that give investor confidence—clear regulations, IP protection, and ease of doing business—so hopefully we can make global capital flow to Indian gaming companies building world-class products,” said Anuj Tandon, partner – India and UAE, Bitkraft Ventures.