Asia
The India Game Developers Conference 2020 goes Virtual, with free access to all events, Opens on 17-20th November 2020
The 12th edition of IGDC, and its first-ever virtual conference to be streamed online has attracted a strong line-up of over 100 speakers across 8 major tracks, 50 exhibitors in the e-expo floor, and the popular Investor-Publisher Connect has attracted over 30 investors and publishers. The conference is also free to everyone, thanks to strong industry support, with Unreal Engine/ Epic games as presenting sponsors of IGDC 2020, along with MPL, Facebook, Google, Unity, Hyper Hippo, Gametion, Nazara, Lakshya and Yesgnome.
Hyderabad, India, 12, November 2020: The 12th Edition of India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) is here, a unique “for the industry, by the industry” event driven entirely with volunteers from across the Indian games industry and with active support from companies in the ecosystem. The event which will be held online from 17th to 20th November 2020 across 4 virtual rooms, from 3pm onwards each day, will be free-for-all to attend.
“Given the pandemic situation, IGDC decided to go with an ‘all-digital experience’. We also viewed this as an opportunity to attract an ever-wider audience who can attend this conference virtually, not just from India, but from all parts of the world, and thanks to the strong support we have received from industry sponsors, we have made access to this conference free for everyone. For a lot of aspiring game developers, this is a great way to participate without having to invest in travel and accommodation. We have a strong line-up of Indian and international speakers who are happy that they can be a part of IGDC virtually” Rajesh Rao, Convenor, IGDC 2020 said.
“Going virtual has created new pathways to access, network and connect with game dev community, discover great games being developed and played, benefit from having insight into running a successful game dev business, search for openings to build your game dev career, and applaud the accomplishments of games that disrupt the eco-system, most importantly, inspire and get inspired.“ he added.
This year’s 4-day virtual conference has attracted over 100 industry expert speakers across 8 major tracks, 50 exhibitors in the e-expo floor, 30 investors and publishers and participation from several international delegations.
Some highlights from the speaker line-up include seasoned grandmasters like Ernest Adams providing a workshop on the “Fundamentals of Game Design,” to successful indie developers such as Arvi Teikari talking about their journey with the award winning game, “Baba is You,”. The Art track has a workshop on character creation by Naresh Das, Art Director at EiTri Studio, and a VFX talk by Daniel Santalla. The Tech track features talks by Shawn Beck from Unity and Jason Davis from Backtrace. The Applied Games track features talks by Tsahi Liberman- Simpool. And Michelle Lee- Schmidt – IDEO. The Biz track features William Hughes- Tilting Point and Craig Chapple- Sensor Tower. Other speakers include Jon Hook – Boombit talking about publishing deals, Neale Hemrajani- Annapurna Interactive and well-known indie developer Rami Ismail.
IGDC will also host its popular, IGDC Investor-Publisher Connect 2020 which will be a virtual invite-only forum for investors and publishers to meet with companies bringing unprecedented innovation in the Indian gaming ecosystem, which has grown rapidly in the last one year. Over 30 investors and publishers have signed up for the event.
This year, the highly anticipated BYOG (Build Your Own Game) game jam that is held alongside IGDC was also held virtually, receiving 87 finished entries by the deadline, which was three times more than 2019. The number of participants also increased by about 50%, jumping from 200 in 2019 to 313 in 2020.
IGDC being India’s primary game industry conference, is the ‘must-attend’ event that draws people from across the games ecosystem in India and abroad. The conference continues to play a key role in developing the Indian Gaming ecosystem: from helping developers and industry aspirants gain valuable insights, meet with industry veterans and indie developers, to helping developers connect with publishers and investors that they otherwise may not have had access to. IGDC is also the best platform for international participants to learn what is happening in the Indian games market and to network with the who’s who of the Indian games Industry.
To check out the schedule of event to be held in 4 online rooms, speakers and other exciting events visit https://indiagdc.com/2020/ Pls check the annexure for speakers and schedule of events
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Skyesports, the premier global IP and community builder, has successfully wrapped up the first-ever edition of Gaming Thiruvizha at the Chennai Trade Centre on August 30–31, bringing together more than 17,000 fans across two unforgettable days of gaming, anime, stand-up comedy, cosplay, music, and culture.
Gaming Thiruvizha turned out to be more than an event as it became a two-day carnival. From esports showdowns at LAN zones to cosplay walks, live stand-up, and Tamil cultural showcases, the Chennai crowd transformed the Trade Centre into a festival that truly belonged to them. Fans didn’t just attend; they stayed, celebrated, and created memories together.
The audience mix was as vibrant as the festival itself: college students, families, and kids all came together, proving that gaming and anime are no longer niche hobbies, but shared cultural movements.
Powered by AMD, with ticketing exclusively on KYN, Gaming Thiruvizha was hosted in association with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and supported by AGS Cinemas as the Chennai Edition Theatre Partner.
Commenting on the conclusion of the Gaming Thiruvizha, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports, said, “We couldn’t have asked for a better first edition of the Gaming Mahotsav. The energy of the crowd and the diversity of the audience reminded us why we built this IP — to bridge the gap between casual gamers and esports, and to create a space where gaming, anime, and culture thrive together. Next up, we will be bringing the concept to Bangalore in late September,” said Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports.
The festival also welcomed dignitaries including Meghantha Reddy (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu), Darez A. (MD, Guidance Tamil Nadu), and Gayathri Thyagarajan (Founder & CEO, Kynhood Technologies), underlining the growing recognition of gaming and esports as part of Tamil Nadu’s cultural and creative economy.
Highlights of the event include:
- LAN tournaments across BGMI, Valorant, and other titles, with fans cheering players on in true stadium style.
- A pan-India Cosplay competition bringing cosplayers from across the country with stunning costumes judged by top creators and anime experts.
- Red Bull Armageddon, India’s first all-Armageddon format chess tournament, brought together over 350 players in Chennai with International Master Tania Sachdev and Grandmaster M. Shyam Sundar leading the action.
- Merch alleys buzzing with anime and gaming collectibles alongside local Tamil art.
- Stand-out experiential booths and meet-and-greets with Team Tamilas, Autobotz Esports, and Welt Esports.
- PVR Cinemas set up local food experience stalls for attendees
With India on track to reach 700 million gamers by 2027, and anime/cosplay engagement skyrocketing across social media, Gaming Thiruvizha demonstrated that hyperlocal, immersive festivals are the way forward.
Gaming Thiruvizha is the first chapter of Skyesports’ Gaming Mahotsav, a six-city touring pop culture festival with regional editions in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi, and Pune. Each stop blends gaming, anime, music, comics, and local culture into one cohesive community celebration.
The post Skyesports Wraps Up Gaming Thiruvizha – Chennai Edition With 17,000+ Fans in Attendance appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Following the passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 on August 21, the government of India imposes a complete ban on online money games, alongside the advertisements related to the sector.
Passed by the parliament, any financial transactions related to these platforms would be considered unlawful as stated under the Information Technology Act of 2000. The legislation also aims to establish a national-level regulatory authority that will govern the categorising and registration of online games.
The said authority shall issue guidelines, codes of practice and directions for compliance, with strict punishments induced, leading to imprisonment for up to three years, and a fine to one crore rupees or 114,017 USD.
The advertisement of the said games is also punishable with similar penalties, with imprisonment up to two years and a fine of up to fifty lakh rupees 1140 USD.
While the law prohibited online money gaming such poker, rummy and fantasy sports that offer cash rewards, e-sports are considered and recognised as a legitimate competitive sport in India, and is not included in the total ban, as well as online social games or casual games that are recreational in nature.
This draws that the bill-turned-law, used a “balanced approach” since recognising that the online gaming sector is one of the most dynamic segments in the digital and creative economy, hence, still allowing esports and online social games.
This came after the report of over 45 crore or 45,000,000 people were reportedly affected by online money games and have lost more than Rs. 20,000 crores or 2,280.414 USD, according to Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology.
According to the same ministry, the total ban was driven by the following reasons:
• Addiction and Financial Ruin
• Mental Health and Suicide
• Fraud and Money Laundering
• Threat to National Security
• Closing Legal Loopholes
• Encouraging Healthy Alternatives
Meanwhile, the bill also stated that while the online gaming authority governs the registration of online games, the central government still has the authority to frame the rules for the promotion and advertisement of e-sports, online social games and other rules related under the law.
In total, the legislation aims to safeguard vulnerable populations, particularly the middle class and youth by introducing these strict regulations and a greater emphasis on brand responsibility and ethical advertising.
The post New Indian Law Aims to Curb Online Money Gambling Sector, Prohibits Related Advertising appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Salaries in Macao’s gambling industry have climbed to their highest level in a decade, with average earnings for full-time employees increasing 2.4% year-on-year to 27,390 patacas, according to the second quarter survey on manpower needs and wages by the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
Average monthly earnings for resident full-time casino employees were slightly lower – 27,340 patacas per month – but also rose by 2.4%. Since 2023, the average pay for non-resident workers has exceeded that of residents, with non-resident managers now earning an average of 90,000 patacas a month.
DSEC attributed the quarter’s rises “mainly to increases in salaries.”
The number of full-time workers in the gambling sector edged up by 380 over the past year, reaching 52,898 at the end of the second quarter. Most were local directors and managers.
The sector reported 208 job vacancies at the end of June, with clerical roles accounting for more than half. Just under half of the roles required work experience, while 74.1% required only senior secondary education or lower.
Demand for manpower has “gradually stabilised,” DSEC noted, as both the employee turnover rate (1.6%) and recruitment rate (1.1%) dropped year-on-year.
The survey does not cover junket promoters or their associates.
The post Macao Casino Sector Salaries Hit a 10-year High appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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