Mumbai: India’s apex governing body for the gaming ecosystem, the Game Developers Association of India (GDAI), has formalised its industry governance framework with the announcement of its first GDAI Governing Council, comprising 21 members drawn from across the gaming value chain.
The newly constituted council brings together leaders from game development studios, publishing companies, distribution platforms, esports organisations, and technology enablers, creating a unified industry voice for a sector projected to reach ~$8 billion by 2030.
GDAI Governing Council to Drive Policy Engagement and Industry Standards
The GDAI Governing Council will function as the association’s executive body, responsible for operational governance and structured policy advocacy.
It will play a central role in advancing GDAI’s mission to drive employment generation and original IP creation within India’s gaming ecosystem.
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Key focus areas for the council include industry-ready skilling, structured apprenticeship programmes, stronger incubation support for game studios, and active engagement with policymakers on critical issues such as taxation, responsible gaming, IP creation and protection, and ease of doing business.
These priorities aim to enable Indian studios to build, own, and globally monetise original games, positioning India as a competitive hub for global game development.
The council includes prominent industry leaders 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.
Sridhar Muppidi, Chairperson, GDAI, said, “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. This is participatory, industry-led governance designed for long-term impact.”
Akshat Rathee, Managing Director and Co-Founder of NODWIN Gaming, and a member of the GDAI Governing Council, added, “The time for gaming and esports to become true value creators in India’s interactive entertainment ecosystem is now.
As part of the GDAI Governing Council, I look forward to working with the government and industry stakeholders to take the voice of young India forward.”
Oliver Jones, Welsh founder of Moonfrog Labs and Member, GDAI Governing Council, said, “I came to India for the talent and stayed because of the potential. Indian game developers can compete with anyone globally, and through the Council, we’ll work to remove the barriers – whether infrastructure, investment, or policy – that prevent them from realizing that potential.”
Anuj Tandon, Partner – India & UAE, BITKRAFT Ventures, and Member, GDAI Governing Council, added, “The Indian gaming market is one of the largest consumer markets of the world, and we see a large opportunity.
As part of the Council, I’ll 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.”
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Members of the GDAI Governing Council
The 21-member Governing Council, including the Chairperson, comprises:
- Akshat Rathee
- Anando Banerjee
- Anuj Tandon
- Dayanidhi MG
- Deepak Gurijala
- Deepak M V
- Harish Chengaiah
- Imtiaz Hussain
- Joseph Kim
- Kartik Prabhakara
- Keerti Singh
- Kinshuk Sunil
- Mario Royston
- Nikhil Chandran
- Oliver Jones
- Roby John
- Shiva Nandy
- Tanay Tayal
- Vaibhav Chavan
- Yadu Rajiv
The Game Developer Association of India (GDAI) is India’s apex industry body for the video gaming ecosystem and a non-profit organisation that unites game developers from across the country into a shared national ecosystem.
GDAI focuses on enabling business opportunities, upskilling talent, and shaping policy frameworks with the government to position India as a global hub for game development.
The association supports the journey from individual talent to scalable studios, with initiatives aimed at incubating 5,000 game start-ups and impacting over 25,000 students nationwide in choosing gaming as a career.
