The Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), the apex industry body for the Indian gaming ecosystem, has launched Supernova, a national incubation programme aimed at scaling Indian gaming studios from the development stage through to publishing. In its inaugural year the programme will support 40 high‑potential studios selected from across the country, with applications opening immediately and closing on 31 July 2026.
Supernova is built in partnership with global industry players including Tencent, PhonePe’s Indus Appstore, 1312 Interactive and Sanchi Connect, making it one of the largest incubation initiatives facilitated by GDAI. The programme offers stage‑specific mentorship from experienced game‑industry leaders, investor‑readiness support, AI‑focused development workflows, business, legal and IP advisory, cloud infrastructure, startup tools and direct connections to publishers, platform holders and ecosystem partners.
According to Mintegral’s India Gaming Growth Outlook 2026, India possesses one of the world’s largest gaming audiences, while the MIXI Global Investments’ India’s State of Play report projects combined in‑app and advertising revenue to reach USD 2.4 billion by 2029. GDAI highlights that the Indian gaming ecosystem comprises more than 2,000 companies employing approximately 130,000 professionals, and the association’s broader vision is to generate over 2 million jobs in gaming by 2034.
Speaking at the launch, Rajan Navani, Board Member and Chairperson of the GDAI Incubation Sub‑Committee, emphasized India’s creative talent, entrepreneurial energy and rapidly expanding domestic market as foundations for becoming a global game‑development powerhouse, noting that sustainable studio growth is essential for creating globally successful IP. CEO Shruti Verma added that many studios face challenges transitioning from game creation to sustainable business models, securing publisher access, raising growth capital, adopting AI‑driven workflows and moving from prototype to commercial success; Supernova is designed to address these gaps through mentorship, publishing access, AI expertise and industry networks.
The incubation cycle will culminate in a Demo Day at the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2026, where participating studios will showcase their games to domestic and international publishers, investors and industry leaders. The first cohort will be publicly announced by August 2026.