Mumbai: The gaming industry landscape in India is poised for a major transformation as the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act reshapes one of the country’s fastest-growing digital sectors.
With India’s gamer base crossing 500 million users, the legislation introduces a new framework focused on transparency, accountability, and responsible data handling by gaming companies across mobile, PC, and console platforms.
DPDP Act Gaming Industry Brings Stricter Consent and Child Data Safeguards
Under the DPDP Act, gaming companies are required to implement stronger consent mechanisms, data minimisation practices, and enhanced protections for children’s data.
The law mandates clear and granular consent journeys, allowing players to understand what personal data is collected and for what purpose.
These changes are expected to influence analytics models, personalisation engines, in-game social systems, and community features, prompting companies to reassess legacy data practices.
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For the broader ecosystem, the DPDP Act gaming industry framework signals a shift towards more strategic data collection, limited short-term data retention, robust security controls, and mandatory breach notifications to both the Data Protection Board of India and affected users. While compliance will require operational redesign and investment, industry leaders view the move as a positive step toward sustainable growth.
Nitish Mittersain, Joint Managing Director and CEO of Nazara Technologies, described the DPDP Act as a defining milestone for the sector. He noted that the industry is transitioning from growth-led expansion to a trust-centric model built on safety and accountability, adding that compliance creates a common baseline for responsible innovation.
DPDP Act Gaming Industry Aligns Regulation, Innovation and User Rights
From an ecosystem standpoint, the DPDP Act is emerging as a foundational pillar aligning user rights, regulatory clarity, and industry innovation. Industry bodies are actively working with gaming companies to convert regulatory requirements into actionable frameworks and operational playbooks.
Vinayak Godse, CEO of the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), highlighted that the Act and its notified rules strengthen transparency, streamline breach reporting, and offer practical guidance for processing children’s data – an area of critical importance for gaming platforms.
He added that structured responsibilities for Significant Data Fiduciaries and a risk-sensitive compliance approach will help companies shift toward purpose-driven data processing.
Gaming remains one of India’s most data-intensive consumer sectors. Industry leaders anticipate three key outcomes from the DPDP Act gaming industry reforms: enhanced player trust, higher-quality data usage, and improved operational maturity.
While short-term adjustments are expected, the long-term result is projected to be a more compliant and globally aligned gaming ecosystem.
Anurag Choudhary, Founder and CEO of Felicity Games, said the Act encourages studios to embed privacy-by-design principles into the game development lifecycle, including transparent consent flows, player dashboards, and heightened protections for minors.
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Children’s Data at the Core of DPDP Act Gaming Industry Compliance
Children’s data protection represents the most critical compliance challenge under the DPDP Act. Games accessed by minors must adopt robust parental consent mechanisms, safety-by-design principles, and strict limits on profiling under-18 users.
For developers and publishers, privacy and confidentiality are now integral to long-term success rather than optional safeguards.
Kashyap Reddy, CEO and Co-founder of Hitwicket, noted that responsible data practices directly influence player and parent trust, especially as Indian gaming platforms expand globally.
He added that improved transparency under the Act will provide parents with greater confidence in allowing children to engage with high-quality gaming brands.
The DPDP Act, which received Presidential assent on August 11, 2023, outlines the responsibilities of Data Fiduciaries, rights of Data Principals, protections for children, and enforcement powers of the Data Protection Board of India.
In practical terms, gaming companies must map data flows, strengthen consent and age-gating systems, and reinforce governance across engineering, marketing, and customer support teams.
Sridhar Muppidi, President of the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), welcomed the Act, stating that most Indian developers already operate at GDPR-aligned standards.
He emphasised the need for awareness initiatives to support smaller studios and prevent compliance lapses that could attract penalties.
