VFX, gaming to attract Rs 250 crore in Telangana

Hyderabad : The gaming industry is betting big on Hyderabad, courtesy the 1. 6 million square feet Image Towers that is set to come up in Hi-Tec City by 2023. Major players present at the India Game Developers Conference (IGDC) said that a slew of companies are eyeing Hyderabad because of the ‘right push’ given by the state government.

The city has about 40 gaming firms. This is expected to double over next few years.

“The Telangana government is very supportive of the sector. In fact, it has been proactive in getting the IGDC here for years, which acts as a crucial meeting ground for the industry that’s grown from 100 people to 3,000 people over the years,” said Rajesh Rao, convenor and chairperson of IGDC. The state’s encouragement for e-sports is also a major selling point, say industry insiders.

“Not many governments are pushing this genre like Telangana,” said Vikas Goel, cofounder of Bengaluru-based EsportsXO. The firm creates software to support online tournaments. He added:

“Hyderabad is steadily building an ecosystem that is very favourable for nurturing tech and creative talent. The government support is a bonus that’s not just helping gamers but also firms developing them. ”

Telangana’s principal secretary for Industries and ITJayesh Ranjan told TOI that the state is collaborating with Esports Federation of India to conduct various tournaments, not just in Hyderabad but also in multiple smaller cities in the state to encourage the sector to grow.

Currently, an esports tournament DreamHack with over 15,000 players is being held in Hyderabad, which started on Friday.