Domestic players warm up to online gaming

By agencies   |   Thursday, 31 August 2006, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: The Indian gaming industry is finally coming out of its overriding image as just an outsourcing hub. Global players see India as a great market for gaming, not only for sourcing expertise, but also for selling games, The Times of India said. The paper said international game publishers like THQ, Vivendi and Electronic Arts are scouting for domestic partners to facilitate their India entry. On the home front, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment has a $100 million budget for its online gaming business. Besides, Indian players like Mobile2Win, Dhruva Interactive, Indiagames intend to go in for a second round of funding to expand their businesses. Dhruva Interactive is in talks with couple of venture capitalists to raise around $6 million and is also exploring tie-ups with broadband players to capture the Internet user base. Indiagames is looking to raise $25 million, while Hungama is seeking $10million. The Times of India also said that low PC and Internet penetration could spoil the party for gaming companies. To overcome this they are tying up with broadband service providers and PC manufacturers. HCL for instance is bundling its PC’s with games and sees a huge potential in the broadband content space as well.