Tag: supergaming

Made-in-India Battle Royale Indus Is Getting a Closed Beta This Diwali Season, Watch Trailer

Pune-based developer SuperGaming has confirmed that its upcoming battle-royale title Indus is getting a closed beta, this festive/ Diwali season. In celebration, the studio has dropped a trailer featuring key operators in the game, and some clues regarding consumable items. Keys for the closed beta will be available in limited supply, and the only way to ensure a chance of access is by pre-registering for Indus on the Google Play Store. Yes, an Apple iOS release is imminent, but it appears the first beta period — akin to internal playtests — is dedicated to the more populous Android player base only, for now.

The Indus closed beta cinematic throws our key operators into the floating map of Virlok, as they battle for control over Cosmium, a rare, natural-born mineral that can canonically alter space and time. Its in-game significance, however, is that claiming it instantly grants the player victory, regardless of how many other survivors are left on the field. Interestingly enough, it features some familiar voices, ranging from Olympic pistol shooter Heena Sidhu, popular content creators Magsplay and GamerFleet, and leading gaming YouTuber Techno Gamerz, the last of whom also collaborated with SuperGaming on Battle Stars to bring a skin resembling his likeness to the game.

“The Indus Closed Beta trailer is our attempt at showcasing the Indian Gaming Industry by involving aspirational real-life icons from culture, sports, and content creation as a part of it,” SuperGaming founder and CEO Roby John said in a prepared statement. “With over five million pre-registrations so far and the support of a vocal community, we firmly believe Indus is at the forefront of building India’s gaming revolution.” While the Indus trailer is largely cinematics, we can gather a bunch of mechanics from what’s being shown, starting with a resurrection injector that can be used on downed teammates — akin to Warzone’s revive kits.

As mentioned before, the victory-guaranteeing Cosmium randomly spawns on the map, but it’s not simply a matter of reaching it on time. It appears as though once the mineral first makes contact with the ground sealed within a care package, kickstarts an unspecified countdown, instead of unlocking right away. That means the package will be a hotspot for players to zone in for battle before a skilled (or lucky) one claims it in time.

Other clues reveal consumables such as smoke bombs, which can be used as cover so you can knife blinded players in the back. While the cinematics do show the peacock-themed operator Mor-Ni smoothly executing them, it’s unclear whether similar animations will be seen in-game. As our heroes make their way towards an unlocked Cosmium package, the slender Sir-Taj pops out of nowhere and tosses an explosive grenade. All this action is being observed by the vigilant leader of the COVEN, an intergalactic syndicate, who orders more Mythwalkers to extract the mineral.

Pre-registration for Indus is now live on the Google Play Store. For more details on closed beta key drops, it is recommended that you join Indus’ official Discord.

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Battle Stars: Battle Royale to Celebrate Independence Day With Delhi-Inspired Map, Surpasses 5 Million Players

Battle Stars: Battle Royale, the made-in-India mobile multiplayer shooter, has crossed five million players since its launch in June, becoming developer SuperGaming’s fastest-growing game. To celebrate the milestone, and with Independence Day fast approaching, it’s getting a new map inspired by the city of New Delhi, available as a free update. Just like the Mumbai-based map — which was well received in the first two seasons — this new arena will feature familiar locations such as the India Gate, Red Fort, and Connaught Place. The map is now live across Android and iOS, and on August 15, you’ll be able to spot the Indian national flag hoisted atop key structures.

“Season 2 of Battle Stars saw a staggering 20 million matches played, we wanted to take the experience further by bringing Delhi to the game,” Christelle D’cruz, Founder, SuperGaming said in a prepared statement. “To do this, we visited Delhi to capture its vibe and culture to bring it in-game as well as taking inputs from the community. Our new Squad BR features are also based on community feedback.” It’s not just the aesthetics though, as the update brings some location-specific sound effects such as the chatter among the crowds and some new emotes conveying the local slang used in Delhi.

Originally, Battle Stars was a small game mode within SuperGaming’s popular social deduction game Silly Royale, which then expanded into a standalone shooter — essentially riding on the latter’s success. Another contributing factor to its popularity was its collaboration with YouTuber Techno Gamerz aka Ujjwal Chaurasia — 34.9 million subscribers — whose likeness was added to the game as a playable character named Techno Quest. For the uninitiated, Battle Stars comes with both TDM (Team Deathmatch) and battle royale modes, with the latter now receiving a Squad BR update that lets you team up with up to two other players — trios — and hop into the arena to survive and emerge as the last team standing.

Some power-ups have been added, in addition to the ability to loot items off carcasses. Battle Stars recently ended its four-week-long season 2 multiplayer run, during which players recorded 20 million matches with 41 million kills. These achievements aside, SuperGaming’s main goal is to get its standalone Indo-futuristic battle royale Indus out of the gate, wherein you drop into the floating island map of Virlok to scavenge for supplies, survive, and kill anyone who stands in your way to emerge as the last man standing. At a certain interval, a rare resource called Cosmium will spawn at a random spot on the map, which upon collection, grants the player instant victory.

More recently, the team partnered with Google to add support for Project Gameface in Indus, allowing players to control in-game actions using head movements and facial expressions — aimed at those suffering from cognitive and motor challenges. Back in March, Bandai Namco Entertainment — publishers of Dark Souls and Elden Ring games — invested in SuperGaming to build out its ‘IP metaverse.’

Battle Stars’ Delhi map is now available to download on Android and iOS.

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Indian Games Industry Calls for Distinction From Real Money Games in Letter to PMO Over ‘Online Games’ Tax

Earlier this month, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) council implemented a 28 percent tax on online gaming, casinos, and horse racing. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharama, on July 11, announced the new taxation policy, adding that tax would be levied on the full face value of transactions, which included the amount being wagered or deposited for the game. Since the announcement, industry stakeholders, which include investors, gaming companies and others, have expressed concerns about the impact of the ‘online gaming’ tax on businesses, industry jobs, and foreign investment.

Now, over 45 video game companies in India, representing the games industry in the country, have written to the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in a joint letter to address the ambiguity surrounding ‘online gaming’, drawing a clear distinction between video games and real money gaming/ fantasy sports. The letter requests the Indian government to implement a distinct recognition of the games industry in India, and to avoid video games and e-sports from being clubbed with real money gaming and online fantasy sports.

Signatories to the letter, which include Indian video game companies like SuperGaming, Outlier Games, GameEon Studios, and more, have clarified that the recently announced 28 percent GST on online gaming does not affect video games. “Indian Video Games Industry (valued at $812 million — about Rs. 6,660 crore — as of 2022) are unaffected by the recent developments on the GST as these sectors continue to be taxed at 18 percent and supported by the Indian government through the planned AVGC-XR Policy,” the consortium of game companies said in a press release.

Furthermore, the signed letter to PMO, MeitY and the I&B Ministry calls for a clear separation between video games and real money gaming/ fantasy sports, citing misinformation campaigns associating the entities. “While this assertion is objectively false, due to the usage of an overly broad term like ‘Online Games’ different industries are unjustly clubbed together, leading to widespread confusion. This confusion, in turn, fueled controversies and heated debates surrounding the imposition of 28 percent GST,” the letter reads.

The video game companies have thus called for categorising games that involve wagering real money as ‘iGaming’, as is standard practice globally. “To sustain and further develop our industry’s growth trajectory and economic contributions, we emphasise the critical need for clear differentiation and categorization of Video Games as separate entities from Real Money Games and Fantasy Sports (iGaming) as it is done across the world,” the letter says.

“What is being called ‘Online Games/Online Gaming’ in India is known as ‘iGaming’ internationally. It’s also pertinent to highlight that the global games market revenue of $184 Billion does not include revenue from RMGs and Fantasy Sports,” the press release further clarifies. The letter also maintains that the umbrella term of ‘online gaming’ and consequently the association with real money games has left the Indian video games industry battling ‘unfair social stigma’ and ‘clouded investor perception’.

The game companies also highlighted the need for a distinction from the perspective of gamers. “Gamers know the difference between Real Money Gaming, Fantasy Sports, and video games. The rules should evolve to reflect these differences as well. This would ensure the best practices — and more importantly — protections for India’s 500 million plus gamers,” Roby John, co-founder and CEO at SuperGaming, said in the press release.

While video games do not come under the ambit of the new taxation policy, 28 percent GST will be levied on fantasy cricket apps that have gained widespread popularity in the country in recent years, among other fantasy and real-money games. These apps have also sparked concerns of addiction among players, and could lead to financial harm with real money wagering involved.

Investors such as Tiger Global and Peak XV, which have invested in fantasy sports companies like Dream11 and Mobile Premier League, have claimed that the ‘online games’ tax will stifle foreign investment and put $2.5 billion (roughly Rs. 20,500 crore) already invested in the sector at risk.

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Indus Gets Accessibility Features With Support From Google’s AI-Powered Project Gameface

Pune-based developer SuperGaming has partnered with Google to add some accessibility features to its upcoming Indo-futuristic battle royale game, Indus. We’ve yet to see direct gameplay from the PC version, but the studio has confirmed that it has added custom support for Project Gameface, enabling further inclusivity that lets players control in-game actions using head movements and various facial expressions. The feature is largely aimed towards gamers suffering from cognitive or motor challenges and can be set up via a simple face scan through the Gameface app. SuperGaming recently showcased this technology at the Google I/O event in Bengaluru, letting attendees try it first-hand.

Project Gameface is an open-source hands-free technology that uses a standard webcam to scan and read your face, so you can map facial gestures to actions on a mouse and keyboard. Gesture sizes can also be adjusted so the software doesn’t mistake any involuntary reflexes as an in-game action. In a sense, the technology will try and make use of any expressions that could pull off in-game actions, ranging from eyebrow movement, mouth movement, grins, or even head tilts that’d best be configured to move the camera around. It is worth noting that Google’s tool is still in development, but from the short teaser SuperGaming released, we can gather that omnidirectional camera movement is present, albeit a bit laggy. Then again, it could just be an unoptimised, in-development PC version, which still hasn’t received any gameplay trailers.

Earlier this month, Bandai Namco Entertainment — best known for publishing Elden Ring and Dark Souls — invested in SuperGaming to build out its ‘IP metaverse.’ The developer is currently working on its battle-royale shooter Indus, which is set on a floating island called Virlok. In it, you play as the Mythwalker, a hired gun working for the COVEN, on the prowl for the rare mineral Cosmium, which can alter space and time. As seen with other BRs, players are dropped onto the map to scavenge for supplies, survive, and kill anyone who stands in their way to emerge as the last man standing. At a certain interval, however, the Cosmium will spawn at a random spot on the map, which upon collection, grants the player victory, regardless of whoever’s alive in the game.

Indus can be played in both first and third-person modes, with the latter briefly switching to FPS when aiming down sights — rather than simply tightening the hip-fire reticle. The game features uniquely designed operators to choose from, but special, tailored abilities will only be added post-launch. As a mobile game, it will be free-to-play from launch day and feature monetisation methods similar to other titles in the category, where one could purchase cosmetics and other in-game items from the store — no pay-to-win mechanics confirmed yet.

Pre-registration for Indus is now live on the Google Play Store. Further details on the PC and console versions are expected in the future.

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Bandai Namco Invests in Pune-Based Game Studio SuperGaming: Details

Bandai Namco Entertainment, the Japanese game publisher known for entries such as Elden Ring, Dark Souls trilogy, and Pac-Man, have invested in Pune-based developer SuperGaming. The company has used its ‘Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 Fund,’ a fund meant for investing in startups and building its “IP metaverse,” by investing in the Indian studio and Deepmotion, based in the US. The fund was started in April last year, in anticipation of Web3 and amidst other developments in the metaverse. The press release does not mention the deal size, but the fund’s investment size ranges from ¥10 million (about Rs. 62 lakh) to ¥500 million (about Rs. 31 crore).

“Working on PAC-MAN was a bucket list item which I have been fortunate to tick off,” said Roby John, co-founder and CEO, SuperGaming said in a prepared statement. “A customer becoming an investor is the biggest validation we at SuperGaming could ever ask for, so it’s a tremendous honour to have Bandai Namco invest in us and join us on our journey of making games people play for years.” While SuperGaming is known for its mobile game portfolio, which includes the social deduction title Silly Royale and the multiplayer FPS MaskGun, they also have a cloud-based game development engine called SuperPlatform. The tech was announced last year in collaboration with Google Cloud, allowing game developers to use the engine on a SaaS (Software as a Service) basis to build games from scratch — assets and all — in addition to managing analytics, tracking player data, monetisation, and integrates with games built on Unity, Unreal Engine, PlayCanvas, and Cocos Creator.

“Through this investment, we will seek to expand our business by combining our expertise in IPs with a deeper understanding of the Asian market, which is expected to grow further in the future,” the statement from Bandai Namco Entertainment (BNE) reads. As mentioned before, the Japanese gaming giant has also invested in DeepMotion, which is known for solutions aimed at bringing digital characters to life through AI-powered motion capture and real-time body tracking. BNE intends to create new “entertainment experiences” with this tech.

Meanwhile, SuperGaming is hard at work on Indus, its upcoming indo-futuristic battle-royale title, set on a floating island. In it, you play as a Mythwalker, a hired gun working for the COVEN, looking to hunt the rare mineral Cosmium, which can alter space and time. Like other titles in the genre, players are dropped into the map to scavenge for supplies, survive, and kill anyone who stands in their way to emerge victorious. However, at a certain interval during the game, the Cosmium will spawn at a random point, which upon claiming, grants the holder direct victory. The studio previously added the Olympic pistol shooter Heena Sidhu as a playable character in Indus, pre-registrations for which are now live on the Google Play Store.

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Indus Battle Royale Game Adds Olympic Pistol Shooter Heena Sidhu as a Playable Character

Pune-based developer SuperGaming has partnered with Olympic pistol shooter Heena Sidhu to bring her likeness to its upcoming Indo-futuristic battle royale game Indus. The athlete will soon appear as an in-game character Heena, whose backstory is described to form an important part of Indus’ lore, establishing her as a living legend among the folk. For the uninitiated, in April 2014, Sidhu became the first Indian pistol shooter to achieve the number-one world ranking, bestowed upon her by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).

“I was surprised to see an Indian game studio take so much care and attention to detail, especially in terms of shooting and gunplay and how all of it translates into Indus,” Sidhu said in a prepared statement. “It’s something I noticed as an athlete and an avid gamer, which made collaborating with SuperGaming all the more easier.” The new character Heena has, in fact, been teased quite openly in most of Indus’ promotional material, sporting a scouter on her left eye and some wing-like blades protruding from her back.

SuperGaming claims that her lore isn’t dissimilar from Sidhu in real life, who had to break away from stereotypes to fully realise her passion for shooting. Her backstory isn’t entirely clear, but a SuperGaming spokesperson suggested that she’s best comparable to Robin Hood for her village — a hero among the needy.

Indus also revealed Mor-Ni, another new entry to its wide roster, who is revered as a folk hero amongst the Yaksha, an intelligent race of beings. As the name suggests, her appearance resembles that of a peacock — appropriate headgear paired with a purple-blue combo, in terms of clothing and makeup. Both characters will be available in Indus at launch.

As mentioned in a previous report, Indus is not a class-based shooter like Overwatch. So while all Mythwalkers appear differently designed, they are not equipped with any special skills, for the time being. “Players will definitely get to see our own interesting take on augmenting players with some special abilities on the plains of Virlok, sometime after the launch,” a SuperGaming spokesperson said.

The company held its third community playtest event late last month, which added new skins, weapons, quality-of-life improvements to the map and mini-map, customisable controls, and the ability to slide around the map. Indus has you step into the shoes of a Mythwalker, a hired gun working for the COVEN, an intergalactic syndicate that seeks a mysterious rare mineral called Cosmium.

In classic battle-royale fashion, gamers will be dropped onto the floating island of Virlok to scavenge for supplies, kill anyone who stands in their way, and come out as the last player standing. Alternatively, players can wait until the Cosmium spawns in a random spot on the map and snag it to end the match instantly.

Pre-registration for Indus is now live on the Google Play Store. PC and console versions are expected in the future.

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Made-in-India Battle Royale ‘Indus’ Gameplay Trailer Revealed, Pre-Registrations Now Live on Android

Pune-based developer SuperGaming has dropped the gameplay trailer for its upcoming battle-royale title Indus, right in time for Republic Day. Pre-registrations are now live on Android, with signups on iOS and iPadOS to “follow soon.” The timing couldn’t be more appropriate since the company wears its “Made-in-India” tag with pride, incorporating a touch of Indian culture in the game via general architecture, nomenclature, and the lore surrounding the long-dormant titular planet, whose legends echo across the galaxy. The trailer sheds light on some gunplay, loot system, and key locations within the Virlok, the floating island map.

The footage in the Indus trailer is based on a pre-alpha build, so don’t be surprised to see some imperfections and an unpopulated arena. In it, you play as a Mythwalker, a hired gun working for the COVEN, an intergalactic syndicate, seeking to extract Cosmium — a rare, natural-born mineral that can alter space and time. Reminds me of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune, a little bit. This lore aspect ties into the gameplay as well, where despite being a battle royale, one could even emerge victorious by simply claiming it when the time calls for it. The primary objective here is to collect Cosmium, which only spawns once during a play session. Skilled players can still go on a hunting spree to become the last man standing.

Indian Gaming Companies Request Government to Distinguish Between Real Money Games and Video Games

One thing to note from the Indus trailer is that while the characters have eccentric art design, no special skills are put on display. A SuperGaming spokesperson suggested that Indus isn’t a class-based hero shooter like Overwatch or Valorant, promising some changes in the future. “–players will definitely get to see our own interesting take on augmenting players with some special abilities on the plains of Virlok, sometime after the launch,” they stated. That said, I can see characters like Sir-Taj being a favourite pick, thanks to his slender hitbox and interesting character design — the character literally has the Taj Mahal’s dome for a head. For those who aren’t well-versed in Hindi, “sir” translates to head — a clever wordplay for the name. Then there’s Big Gaj, which as the name suggests, is fashioned after an elephant, sporting an imposing presence on-field.

As seen in the trailer, Indus will let you play in both first and third-person perspectives at launch, with the latter switching to an FPS mode briefly when aiming down sights. Players can expect a wall closing in on them akin to most battle royale games, and skill-based matchmaking and a ranking system are part of later development plans. And of course, bots/ AI enemies will be added in case Indus fails to populate servers in time. During the launch period, Indus will only offer solo queues, with team-based options to come later.

Indus will be free-to-play from launch day and feature in-game monetisation methods similar to other titles in the category, where one could purchase cosmetics and other in-game items from the store. Progression mechanics such as a battle pass system hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Indus runs on Unity as the base engine with an in-house “sandbox shooter tech stack” called the Indus Engine. The download size is estimated at around 500MB, though this might balloon as more content gets added. As for the required specs, SuperGaming claims the game will run fine on mobile devices with 4GB of RAM or more, and as long as your Android version is 6.0 and above.

Pre-registration for Indus is now live on the Google Play Store. PC and console versions are expected in the future.

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