Mahesh Babu is taking his storytelling ambitions beyond the silver screen and into the gaming arena. The Indian cinema superstar has joined Mumbai-based Shortgun Games as a strategic investor, partnering with co-founders Jeet Chandan and Vidhit Mehta to develop original Indian intellectual properties (IPs) for global PC and console audiences.
The collaboration aims to build franchise-ready interactive experiences exclusively for PC and modern consoles, including PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Leading the charge is Project Takedown, a high-budget, narrative-driven action-adventure game designed to compete in markets across North America, Europe, the UK and beyond.
While India’s digital entertainment industry has largely gravitated towards mobile gaming, Shortgun Games has taken a different route. Chandan and Mehta founded the studio with a focus on PC and console development, aiming to create high-fidelity worlds, deep gameplay and cinematic experiences that can meet the expectations of core gamers worldwide.
“Interactive entertainment is the ultimate frontier where narrative depth, cutting-edge technology, and global culture intersect,” said Babu. “India has extraordinary creative potential, and the time is right to build original characters and cinematic worlds from here that resonate across the globe. What drew me to this company is Chandan and Mehta’s clarity of ambition and their drive to create high-end PC and console experiences that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with international studio benchmarks. Backing young, visionary creators with such a defined technological roadmap is deeply inspiring, and I look forward to supporting our shared vision with Project Takedown.”
The game is also bringing some big-screen action into its digital world. Shortgun Games has roped in Indian action director Vicky Arora, whose credits include Uri: The Surgical Strike, RRR and Tanaav, to lead its action design. His team has overseen motion-capture choreography, combat pre-visualisation and physical stunt mechanics, integrating live-action stunt engineering into the digital character pipeline.
Shortgun Games co-founder and director Mehta stated, “We founded Shortgun Games with a singular focus- to prove that India can engineer world-class interactive entertainment for PC and modern consoles. Having Babu sir come on board alongside Jeet and me as a strategic investor is an extraordinary milestone. His intuitive understanding of large-scale storytelling, emotional connection, and mass resonance elevates our entire vision as we bring Project Takedown to life.”
Shortgun Games co-founder and director Chandan added, “Our goal has always been to build durable, cross-media franchises that transcend regional boundaries. Babu sir’s trust in our roadmap provides a massive vote of confidence for our entire team. His strategic involvement empowers us to scale our technical capabilities, expand our creative talent, and execute at uncompromising quality standards.”
With Babu backing the venture and Project Takedown leading its development slate, Shortgun Games is betting on an Indian gaming story built for the global stage. The ambition is clear: take homegrown storytelling beyond the mobile screen and put it firmly in the console big league.
