UK game developer Kwalee plans $30M investment in India
The Leamington Spa-headquartered firm had announced plans to set up its first overseas studio in May last year in Bengaluru, initially building the team on a remote basis due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
UK-based game developer and publisher Kwalee on Tuesday said it plans to invest $30 million (about Rs 221 crore) in its India operations over the next five years.
The Leamington Spa-headquartered firm had announced plans to set up its first overseas studio in May last year in Bengaluru, initially building the team on a remote basis due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to PTI, Kwalee CEO and founder David Darling CBE said the Bengaluru team already has around 50 people and the company is now planning significant expansion.
"We have around 80 current vacancies in India across all disciplines and 25 new vacancies in the UK...A major part of the $30 million investment will be on the people front," he added.
Team members in India have already contributed to the development of games like BladeBlade Forge 3D (20 million-plus downloads), Teacher Simulator (over 25 million downloads), and Let's Be Cops 3D (more than 21 million downloads).
Darling said while India plays a significant role in game development, it also has more downloads of its mobile games than any other country.
Darling, who co-founded Codemasters in 1986 and paved the way for the midlands gaming hub now known as 'Silicon Spa', said the company is also focussing on publishing games on PC and console platforms.
"The vision from the start was for our teams in the UK and India to collaborate as though they were one studio, and even under difficult circumstances we've seen the fruits of that with great games and a fundamental contribution from our colleagues in Bengaluru.
"Our projected investment shows our commitment to continue building this amazing team and to maintain our rapid growth as we build a global team to make global hits," he added.
(Disclaimer: Additional background information has been added to this PTI copy for context)
Edited by Megha Reddy