Nazara-backed incubator LVL Zero has unveiled its first cohort of 10 gaming startups. This initiative is aimed at accelerating innovation and growth in India’s rapidly expanding gaming ecosystem. Several startups in the cohort are incorporating Indian themes, cultural elements, and storytelling into their games as a global differentiator.
LVL Zero, the gaming incubator backed by MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies, and ChimeraVC, announced the selection of 10 startups for its inaugural cohort. It represents a new generation of Indian game developers building for global audiences across PC, console, and mobile platforms. This selection was made from over 240 applications.
Krish Anurag, Managing Partner at Chimera VC and Founding Partner at LVL Zero, said, “LVL Zero was built to address a structural gap in the ecosystem where access to capital, distribution, knowledge, and talent existed but lacked integration. What we’re seeing with this inaugural cohort is a strong validation of that thesis.”
“These founders are not just building games, they are building with a global-first mindset from day one. What stands out is their willingness to iterate, test, and push beyond traditional boundaries of the Indian gaming ecosystem. Our focus over the next 100 days is to help them sharpen that edge through structured execution, rapid learning cycles, and access to the right networks so they can scale from promising prototypes to globally competitive products,” he added.
The selected startups include Arckon Arts, Impulse Mechanics, Kalp Studio, Kyrel Games, Prescription Studios, Rudrac Games, Trojan Productions, Wrought Studio, Xigma Games, and YK Game Studio.
These startups reflect the evolving shape of India’s gaming ecosystem, with teams ranging from solo developers to studios of up to 5 team members and projects across strategy, narrative, puzzle, simulation, and horror genres.
This initiative highlights a clear shift in Indian game development from mobile-first, services-led work to original IP creation with global ambition. Eight out of the ten selected startups are building for PC and console platforms.
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This initiative underscores LVL Zero’s focus on supporting startups across stages while addressing a critical industry gap, helping teams transition from early prototypes to market-ready products.
“What’s exciting about this cohort is the clear shift toward original IP and global product thinking. Indian developers are increasingly moving beyond building for just the domestic market and are embracing the reality that gaming is a global, highly competitive industry. At the same time, there is a growing awareness around aligning product, market, and distribution early in the journey,” commented Deepak MV, Head of Strategy, Nazara Technologies.
He added, “Through LVL Zero, we’re enabling founders to better understand how publishers think, how markets behave, and how to position their games in a crowded global landscape. That alignment will be critical in helping these teams convert strong ideas into commercially successful products.”
“Building globally competitive games requires not just creativity, but also strong teams, structured thinking, and the ability to learn quickly. We believe this cohort has the potential to take meaningful steps in that direction,” said Tomoharu Urabe, Managing Director of Investments at MIXI Global Investments, Inc.