Nazara Technologies, a diversified gaming and esports company, has joined the AIGF (All India Gaming Federation) as a principal member in the skill gaming industry, showing the growing ambition of the company in the fast-growing pay-to-play space.

Nitish Mittersain, founder of Nazara Technologies, will join the executive committee of AIGF, while the company will lead the industry body’s newly-launched non-profit collective, All-India Game Developers’ Forum (AIGDF), which claims to be India’s largest association of game developers.

The industry body’s objective is to expand the gaming IPs (intellectual property) generated from India by taking advantage of India’s progressive policy and regulatory framework for game development.

“As one of India’s largest and most diversified gaming groups, and with vast experience across game development, esports and pay-to-play, it will strengthen AIGF and its vision. We will also rely on Nazara’s experience to strengthen AIGDF,” AIGF CEO Roland Landers said in a statement.

According to Nazara Technologies, the company will be actively involved in AIGF’s efforts to create a conducive gaming environment in India.

“Through my role on the Executive committee shaping AIGF’s vision and agenda, Nazara will actively contribute to shaping policy frameworks, promoting responsible gaming, especially in the pay-to-play segment, and championing the needs of Indian game developers and the Indian gaming community,” Nitish Mittersain said in a statement.

Nitish Mittersain confirmed to Moneycontrol earlier this week that they are looking to expand into the pay-to-play gaming space, with regulatory clarity continuing to roll out across the industry.

Nazara Technologies will collaborate with local and global developers to launch new pay-to-play titles that will focus on Indian players as well as explore acquisition opportunities, Nitish Mittersain added. Revenue from the pay–to–play gaming vertical in FY23 stood at Rs 57 crore, which represents approximately 5% of the company’s total revenue.

“We’ve not had a very large business in the pay-to-play sector. It is therefore an opportunity where we can now start investing and grow that business to a meaningful scale and the opportunity is there in the pay-to-play segment,” Nitish Mittersain said at the time.

The pay-to-play gaming segment accounted for 77% of the total revenue of the Indian gaming sector in 2022, which was Rs 13,500 crore, according to a recent report by FICCI-EY. Nazara Technologies is currently active in this space with titles like Classic Rummy (online rummy) and Halaplay (online fantasy).

The AIGF, on the other hand, claims to have more than 150 members, including online gaming companies and game developers in all genres and formats. Some of the AIGF’s most prominent members include Mobile Premier League (MPL) Gameskraft, and Head Digital Works (A23) Zupee.

These developments come at a time when the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified new gaming-related amendments to the IT Act 2021 on April 2023 which will introduce multiple SROs (Self-Regulatory Organisations) which will decide whether or not a pay-to-play game, which involves the transfer of money, can be operated in India.

Credit: MoneyControl