The National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) Gaming Forum has announced that it will facilitate the travel of a 20 member delegation to Singapore for the upcoming Casual Connect 2014 scheduled from 20-22 May, 2014.
Casual Connect is produced by the Casual Games Association and is the premiere conference for the casual gaming industry with over 5,500 professionals attending the event each year. As part of the NASSCOM Gaming Forum delegation, Indian Games Studios heads will showcase innovative Indian games developed in the last few years at the event.
Speaking on the upcoming event, NASSCOM VP Rajiv Vaishnav said in a press release: “The gaming industry in India is at an inflection point, and is expected to grow at an exponential level in the future. The Indian gaming services have moved up the value chain with more end to end offshoring work in terms of development coming to India. Exposure to focused market facing conferences is critical at this stage for our Indian studios to showcase the work being done by companies. Casual Connect presents a unique opportunity for the Indian industry as it brings together the most talented and knowledgeable expertise in the casual gaming field and therefore it is the right platform for us to expose the game studios.”
Some of the games that will be showcased from India include – Asura (Ogre Head Studio), Night Surfers (CretioSoft), Meanwhile, In A Parallel Universe (Zombies Indie House), Huerons (Infinite Eurekas), Real Steel World Robot Boxing (Reliance Games), Real Cricket 14 (Nautilus Mobile), Hangman (Spice Labs), Doodle Fight (Gamiana), Exist (Narcissist Reality), Orion’s Gold (digikhel), ROTO: A Simple Circular Puzzle (Lucid Labs), Bricks and Minions (Sandyloisa), Aero Birdies (Milestone Interactive).
Apart from showcasing games at the conference, the delegation will also visit Games Solution Centre (GSC), an initiative by the Media Development Authority (MDA) which is managed by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), a one-stop resource centre that provides a rapid prototyping development environment for Singapore-based small-medium games enterprises to develop their games.
“Independent developers are the cornerstone of the casual games industry and their creativity flows at a rate unmatched by larger studios providing a wide range of games for all platforms. Through this initiative the NASSCOM Gaming Forum aims to get Indian companies the recognition they deserve,” adds NASSCOM Gaming Forum chair Rajesh Rao. “The gaming industry is gaining acceptance globally; hence it is important that the work done by companies is given an international platform to showcase their work to their global peers. The Casual Connect will provide the right international stage for games developed in India, and give them global acknowledgement.”
In an effort to encourage budding entrepreneurs, game designers and enthusiasts NASSCOM will also be sponsoring Indies who have got shortlisted for the Indie Prize Showcase at the Casual Connect this year. It recognises the gaming industry as a significant user of technology which can further showcase India’s well established credentials in the IT Industry space. Some of the major driving factors that are propelling the industry include growth of emerging and start-up gaming companies, rise in wireless usage and a proliferation of game developers. NASSCOM Gaming Forum’s this initiative will provide the delegation an opportunity to learn and network with 900 professionals Indies from across the region.