New Delhi: Supernova, the national game incubation initiative launched by the Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), aims to help Indian gaming studios scale from game development to publishing through structured mentorship, investor access, AI-driven production guidance, and industry partnerships.
Positioned as one of India’s largest game incubation programs, Supernova has been developed with global industry partners including Tencent, PhonePe’s Indus Appstore, 1312 Interactive, Sanchi Connect and other ecosystem collaborators.
In its inaugural year, the program will support 40 high-potential gaming studios selected from across India, with applications opening immediately.
The Supernova incubation program has been created to bridge the gap in India’s independent game development ecosystem by providing structured mentorship, venture funding opportunities, publisher access, and guidance on integrating artificial intelligence into game production pipelines.
Designed for studios at different stages of development – from student teams and early prototypes to publisher-ready and investment-ready companies – Supernova will provide stage-specific mentorship from experienced gaming industry leaders.
The program will also offer publisher and investor readiness support, AI-focused game development workflows, technical guidance, business advisory, legal and intellectual property (IP) support, cloud infrastructure, startup tools, technology benefits, and direct access to publishers, platform holders, and ecosystem partners.
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According to Mintegral’s India Gaming Growth Outlook 2026, India has one of the world’s largest gaming audiences.
The report notes that the next challenge is enabling studios to scale sustainably through stronger publishing capabilities, business growth, monetisation strategies, and improved access to global markets.
Meanwhile, MIXI Global Investments’ India’s State of Play report projects that India’s combined in-app purchase and advertising revenue will reach $2.4 billion by 2029, reflecting the continued maturation of the country’s gaming industry.
Through Supernova, GDAI aims to strengthen India’s expanding game development ecosystem, which currently comprises more than 2,000 companies employing around 130,000 professionals.
The initiative also aligns with GDAI’s long-term vision of creating more than two million jobs in the gaming sector by 2034.
Rajan Navani, Board Member and Chairperson, GDAI Incubation Subcommittee, said: “India has all the ingredients to become a global powerhouse for game development, be it creative talent or entrepreneurial energy, and a rapidly growing domestic market.
The next phase of growth will depend on our ability to help founders build sustainable studios capable of creating globally successful IP. Supernova is an important step towards building that long-term ecosystem.”
Shruti Verma, CEO, GDAI, said: “Over the past few months, our conversations with founders across India have revealed a common set of challenges. Many studios struggle to move from building games to building sustainable businesses, securing publisher access, raising growth capital, adopting AI-driven production workflows, and navigating the path from prototype to commercial success.
Through Supernova, we’re bringing together mentorship, publishing access, AI expertise and industry networks to help founders build investment-ready, globally competitive game studios.”
The Supernova incubation program will conclude with a Demo Day during the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2026, where participating studios will showcase their games before publishers, investors, and industry leaders from India and overseas.
The first Supernova cohort will be announced in August 2026, while applications will remain open until July 31, 2026.
