The 15th edition of the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC), a three-day event packed full of gaming action, concluded at HICC Hyderabad on November 4.
The event was attended by over 4,000 individuals, including game developers, publishers, investors, and gaming enthusiasts who converged to experience the riveting action. The IGDC Expo featured the innovative creations of over 100 gaming companies, attracting a wide array of gaming devotees.
Across its three-day span, the conference hosted over 200 speakers from 20 different countries, presenting 125-plus engaging sessions including panel discussions and workshops on game technology, design, and production. There were also round-table discussions involving industry leaders, government representatives, academics, and other policymakers, organized by bodies such as Invest India, Start-up India, AIGDF, Primus Partners, and MESC.
Conference partners Unreal Developer Day, Xbox Discovery Day, Unity Dev, and Google Dev conducted special parallel sessions.
IGDC’s flagship networking initiative, the Investor-Publisher Connect, witnessed a record number of participants. Over 130 applicants and 1800-plus curated meetings took place between gaming studios and startups, investors, and publishers.
The Build Your Own Game (BYOG) initiative also generated a wave of enthusiasm, attracting over 700 participants and 170-plus game submissions for judging.
The conference commenced with the unveiling of the Lumikai State of India Gaming report F723 – a collaborative effort with Google – which placed the value of the Indian gaming market at $7.5 billion by FY28.
IGDC chairman Rajesh Rao noted that the gaming industry, buoyed by a strong ecosystem, is witnessing rapid growth. Of particular interest is the significant participation of women, who comprise 41 per cent of the total gaming community, and the large number of gamers from non-metropolitan areas, which underlines the widespread accessibility of gaming experiences.
At the IGDC Awards 2023, held on Day 2, game developers and studios were recognized across 10 categories for their innovative contributions. (See full list below)
IGDC director Sridhar Muppidi highlighted that IGDC has become one of the world’s top five Game Developer Conferences and South Asia’s largest, consistently drawing large-scale international participants. Muppidi concluded by sharing the ambition to host an even grander conference next year.
The final day of the conference was devoted to discussions and talks about the burgeoning esports sector.
The 15th IGDC was powered by Unreal Engine and co-sponsored by various companies, with the Government of Telangana as the state sponsor, and many others as partners and sponsors.
Check out the IGDC 2023 award winners:
* Mouse over each category to see the winner and runner up.