The catch here is that broadband plans are limited today, in the sense that one signs up for Rs 400 for a 200MB download. So, within our system, all the data and game downloads are free of cost. The necessity here is that while one is playing the game one will have to be connected to the internet. One can be connected on a broadband or a narrowband, it doesn't matter. Because when one is playing there is only a heart beat we send out every five minutes to make sure that one is a live customer. We also track in the back end the entire statistics on who is playing what and that is how are billing and royalty partners is generated. This is where the technology of digital rights management comes in to supports the subscription plan.

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How did you decide to come up with GOD?
The whole concept was driven by the premise that piracy is eating away 90-95 per cent of the market for games and software generally. So there was a need for a model which was piracy-killing in price point and one that enabled the masses to easy access to it. On the other hand, it also made sense as a business model as it is subscription based.

Who are your broadband partners and what markets are you targeting?
As of now we have covered almost all the broadband service providers like Airtel, BSNL, MTNL, YOU, etc. Hence, gamers will not be limited by the choice of their internet connection. Evidently, we are targeting the residential broadband market. We think that's the right way ahead as PC penetration is increasing. We also believe that the masses will be playing from their homes.

Have you acquired any new licenses recently to be developed into games?
We have done a ton off stuff in this area. For PC, Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain is the biggest one we have recently done. We constantly develop such games on the mobile game space, for example we are working on one based on the next hot movie release called Journey to the centre of the earth starring Brendon Fraiser. We have the global exclusive rights for this and we will be launching it around the world. Similarly we did Roush Hour3, Jodha Akbar, Hat-trick, etc. And then we are also working on a game based on a new show by UTV based on bike racing called, Champ, it will be available on both mobile and PC platforms.

One of our biggest titles in the making is Bio Shock, which is the number one game on the Xbox 360. We will be bringing it to the mobile phone in October this year. We have also acquired the rights of The Office from Universal Studios, which is a very popular comedy sitcom in the States, starring Steve Carell and will be developing a game on that. There are plans to re-launch Predator on the mobile platform and bring Godzilla to the US market.

Any plans of developing content for iPhone?
We are already in the process of developing content for iPhone. All of our rights will extend to the iPhone, so all of our content will also be developed for the iPhone. It is a fantastic device for gaming. I'd say it's a better gaming device than a phone. The resolution of an iPhone is so great, that the look and feel of a game on it will be very cool. As far as iPhone exclusive content is concerned, we are in talks with Apple and would be able to declare something soon.

Is Indiagames looking at developing high-end games for platforms apart from mobile?
Yes. But, we don't compete with our publishing partners. Hence, we only work in sections which are not catered by them because that will conflict with our GOD model. However, our 3D team has excellent potential and we are working on some high-end content. If you take Paanchvi Pass, for example, it's a cracker of a game. Then there is 20-20, a cricket game, which is also doing very well. As far as console titles go, we are working on a title called Ashoka. Besides, through our group company Ignition we are working on three other titles, of which one game can only run on a PS3.

Tell us more about Ignition.
Ignition is UK-based and is run and managed by Vijay Chaddha. Since UTV owns the majority stake in Ignition, it's like a sister concern.

On Indiagames' gaming team.
The team is called Indian Inferno and consists of award-winning gamers. We are a games company and for a long time we wanted to promote e-sports like physical sports. So, we have also setup the ESCI (E-Sports Council of India), you can call it the e-sports version of, say, BCCI. One of the tasks we have taken up is to promote gaming and so we have taken some of these gamers under a franchise and have provided them the latest equipment to practice and sponsor them to go and travel to different events and competitions.

Our concept is to promote these upcoming players and provide them the financial resources and coaching services along with a professional managerial support so that they can compete in the global competitions. We have created a professional model so they have now become professional players and we pay them a salary. So they have an 'Indian Inferno Kit' which they wear when they go out for competitions. So they get paid to play games, so it's about making gaming into a profession. Thus it is about making gaming into a new career prospect.
We are going to be launching the World Cyber Games event once again this year. And this is going to be the biggest ever.

How far is UTV involved with Indiagames?
UTV picked up a 56 per cent stake in December last year and they are the majority share holders in the company. Other investors include Cisco Systems and Adobe, along with the management team. Ronnie Screwalla is a bright entrepreneur and his inputs on creating new avenues and running the business successfully are always valuable.

There is no concrete data and statistics available on mobile gaming trends in India.
We had commissioned a research report in partnership with Nokia for which BDA was the research house. The report 'Indiagames-Nokia research report on mobile gaming' is India's first ever such report and has already been released in the media. The report briefs the market shares of various operators and makes projections as to where the market is headed. It also lists the top ten downloaded games and the top handsets besides profiling the consumer base.

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