Gaming platform Paytm First Games has announced its intentions to become the largest publisher of homegrown game titles in India. This comes as part of the Make In India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat push which will see Indian game developers and studios get promoted on the gaming platform. For this, Paytm First Games says they have set aside Rs 10 crores for helping game developers with technology solutions to make their games more interactive and also promote Indian titles to help them clock an even larger gamer base. Paytm First Games says there will be special focus on game genres and titles that promote gamified learning on rich Indian heritage, mythology and sporting history.
This comes just after Paytm, India’s leading digital payments platform, announced the launch of the Paytm Mini Apps Store earlier today. The idea is to provide an Indian app store and a platform for Indian app developers, and to break the monopoly of Google Play Store which has rolled out a new policy that demands all apps adhere to the 30% commission for all in-app transactions. The implementation of that policy has since been pushed to April 2022, only for Indian app developers. “We believe it’s the time to lead the digital gaming sector with Made in India games that becomes a global runaway success. Being a homegrown company, we want to play our part in enabling India’s gaming ecosystem. Our goal is to support over 200 talented developers, who may not have access to resources comparable to that of big studios,” says Sudhanshu Gupta, COO, Paytm First Games.
Paytm First Games also say they will organize a series of events and hackathons which will provide a platform for young talented developers and help them curate games across all genres. The company has budgeted Rs 300 crore for investing in an ecosystem of fantasy sports and online gaming events this year.
