88 Pictures, a popular Indian animation and VFX firm has officially introduced the gaming division dubbed 88Games. For the universe, the company has worked on global hits like Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Gremlins: Secret of Mogwai, and Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight. Now, the company claims to be bringing storytelling and high-quality visuals to make PC and console games.

88Games is poised to make its debut with three titles, one of which will be released on Xbox and PlayStation, with a first look expected at the India Game Developers Conference (IGDC) in 2024. The team, led by industry veterans Milind D. Shinde and Shiben Bhattacharjee, plans to bring Indian mythology, folklore, and legendary figures to life through immersive gameplay and visual storytelling.

"India is one of the world's oldest civilisations, with stories dating back thousands of years. We want to translate this vast cultural capital into a new medium for a global audience," Shinde added. This strategic approach is consistent with India's fast-expanding gaming market, which is expected to add 23 million new gamers by 2024, according to the Lumikai State of India Interactive Media & Gaming Report. India's gaming sector, valued at $1.6 billion in 2024, is expected to grow to $9.2 billion by 2029, with a heavy emphasis on foreign storytelling and cultural representation.

Initiatives like the recently authorised National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) are meant to assist Indian developers in competing on the international scene as the country's impact in the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector grows. According to Game Director Bhattacharjee, 88 Pictures hopes to help India become a major force in the gaming industry by producing games that act as "a bridge between cultures" through 88Games.