MUMBAI: Indian gaming startup nCore Games has found a strategic advisor and investor in Vishal Gondal, the founder of companies such as IndiaGames and GoQii, Economic Times reports.
While Gondal’s investment hasn’t been disclosed as yet, it is a massive boost for nCore, which is barely a year old. The company was founded by Dayanidhi MG, the former APAC head of Digital Chocolate and RockYou, video game developers formerly based out of California in the USA.
nCore’s focus is on the mid-core category of games, which otherwise features the likes of PUBG, Clash Royale and Clash of Clans. It has partnered with global studios such as Rovio Entertainment, the makers of the Angry Birds franchise and is in negotiations with many of them to customise overseas mobile games for the Indian market.
On the other hand, this will be Gondal’s second venture into the video and mobile gaming space after selling IndiaGames in 2012 to Walt Disney for an estimated $100 million.
“Since exiting IndiaGames in 2012, I was on the lookout for a strong team with a vision and amazing game development capabilities. I am glad that I have found those capabilities in the nCore team and I am very confident that together we will be able to change the mobile gaming scenario in India,” Gondal stated in an official statement.
“The market has massively expanded. My understanding is that out of the 300 million smartphones, there are more people playing games, than consuming video.
“I think, after IndiaGames, no one has focused on developing high-quality original content from India…The real power power being successful in this space, is intellectual property. The Indian gaming store is currently dominated by foreign games.”
“Indian gaming market is rapidly scaling and poised for an unprecedented growth starting now. High-quality Indian ethos based games with deep and rewarding experiences both in terms of gameplay and accessibility will be embraced by the Indian gamers,” Dayanidhi added.
