Mayank Khanduja on UEFN Hackathon, Game Development and more
Mayank Kkanduja- I don't think the gaming creators or game developers only come from Top-tier cities. Gaming is a very very pan-Indian phenomenon now and if you are a gamer you can become a game developer if you have the interest.
Recently in UEFN Hackathon hosted by Elevation Capital in Bengaluru, we got the opportunity to interact with Mayank Khanduja, Partner Elevation. He shared his views on game development, gaming creators, his approach while investing in a gaming start-up and more. Read the full interview to know know in detail
What is your approach while investing in a gaming start-up?
Look at a gaming investment we are looking for teams who identify these opportunities before they become big they are more forward-looking they're able to identify this category that is going to become big maybe 6 months later and I'll start building today I think the second big thing that we look for is to see in gaming distribution. If you're able to distribute your game that may be eight on ten game but you are doing better than a ten-on-ten game so when we look for a team we ask them have you found some interesting GTM channels are you your game able to grow more organically in a more viral way that which is not just like Facebook Google or ad Network advertising so these are the two big Dimensions we go for while investing.
As an investor what excites you about UEFN Hackathon?
I think UEFN and why we chose to do this Hackathon there were a couple of big trends that we were spotting if you look at just the app store or Play Store they are becoming very very cluttered very competitive very difficult for people to get noticed. If you look at all the younger gaming generation they are gravitating towards new platforms whether it is Fortnite or Roblox and GTA is also coming out. If you look at all the 10 to 13-year-old 14-year-olds, they play games more on their mobiles. Seeing this trend we felt that we need to encourage more developers in India to come and build on UEFN also if you look at these platforms they provide a lot of support to developers so if you're building on UEFN, the Epic team will help you understand their platform much better so that you can build faster and gain users faster.
What is your advice to the Budding game developers?
I think when you are a new Young game developer uh it's very very important to identify what kind of game mechanics are you going to go after and you have to identify that by looking at what is already big. Are you creating an interesting meta, around are you doing something different, you have to find somewhat is your Alpha, why will your game be played? Do something nobody's doing. Find that opportunity it may not seem big today but if it's interesting it will become big over time.
Do you see any growth in tier-two, or tier-three in terms of game development
I don't think the gaming creators or game developers only come from Top-tier cities. Gaming is a very very pan-Indian phenomenon now and if you are a gamer you can become a game developer if you have the interest. We are meeting teams now which are coming out of places like Gorakhpur. I don't think location is a hindrance when it comes to game development in India.