BAFTA Breakthrough India 2022: In My Shadow developer Nakul Verma talks about indie game dev, more
Following in the steps of Shruti Ghosh, the Co-Founder and Art Director at Nodding Heads Games, Nakul represents the gaming industry this year in BAFTA Breakthrough India. Here is the complete interview discussing the game development industry.
BAFTA recently announced its Breakthrough India 2022 program participant list. This list came about a month after the organization first shared the list of the jury for the second edition. As previously reported, the highlight of the latest list of participants for the video game industry is the selection of Nakul Verma. Verma is the Founder and CTO of Playbae, a Gurugram-based independent game development maker. He is also the game director behind the popular cross-platform title, “In My Shadow” that was released last year. Following in the steps of Shruti Ghosh, the Co-Founder and Art Director at Nodding Heads Games, Nakul represents the gaming industry this year.
BAFTA Breakthrough India 2022: Interview with Nakul Verma
Just days before the announcement around the BAFTA list went out; we got a chance to converse with Nakul about the video game industry in India. As part of the email conversation, we spoke about the past, the journey in gaming, and the reception around “In My Shadow”. We also talked about the game development scene in India, upcoming trends in the industry, and the future. Let’s check the complete interview with Nakul Verma from Playbae below:
Q: How does it feel to represent the video gaming industry in the BAFTA Breakthrough India 2022 batch?
A: It is a mix of feeling honored, proud, and humbled. I hope I can represent the industry to the best of my ability and inspire more young talent.
Q: For the people who may not be aware, could you recap how you started in the video game industry?
A: I started by quitting my comfortable college placement job as a Data Analyst to make games for various companies. This went on until 2019, I started working full-time Indie on my Shadow idea. Ever since then it has been a crazy journey that I never could have planned for!
Q: It will almost be a year since the launch of In My Shadow. How do you take the reception that the game has received? Did you anticipate it?
A: I never anticipated the game getting so much love not just from India but also from the global audience. I still have a lot to learn to make it big globally, but I surely can't complain about what the game has achieved so far.
Q: When was the first time it occurred to you that the game has 'made it' after the launch?
A: The game has had a lot of highs but the best one is undoubtedly the 'Game of the Day' feature by Apple for the iOS version. That is a milestone that I always planned and worked really hard for.
Q: Beyond 'In My Shadow', the pandemic and turning completely Indie, what has changed for you in the last 3-4 years?
A: A lot of hair turned white perhaps? Apart from that, I have learned so much about the industry, about running a business as an Indie, about other indies, and much more. I have made a lot of priceless connections and the more I have learned, the more I have realized that I know so little 🙂.
Q: What advice would you want to give to Indians who want to enter the game development industry? What is your advice to the parents?
A: Fortunately, the Indian Game Dev scenario is blooming and there are loads of opportunities for aspiring game devs. I feel that there is enough awareness even amongst the parents about Gaming as a career so I don't think I will have anything really new to share. However, I would definitely like to suggest the budding talent reach out to folks who are experienced and try to formulate a realistic plan of joining the industry so that they can keep their parents happy at the same time as well.
Q: What do you wish the Indian video game industry improves in the future?
A: Support to the Indie Developers, maybe in the form of grants, events, mentoring, etc. Also, it would be really refreshing to have more Indian publishers and investors show interest in more genres of games and push for higher quality projects from our country.
Q: As you mentioned in the past, 'In My Shadow' was the big dream project for you. What is next for Nakul Verma and Playbae?
A: Most importantly, I am looking for a Co-founder for Playbae. Someone who believes in my vision of creating genuinely innovative experiences that can challenge the existing possibilities of design in video games. Until I find them, I will continue exploring more ways of pushing imagination in games and hopefully have more exciting projects to share soon.
Q: How do you think BAFTA can help you in taking the game to the next level?
A: I am sure that BAFTA would not only help take the game but also take me to the next level. I am excited to connect with the extraordinary pool of talent BAFTA has and exchange learnings with some of the best in the industry.
