LVL Zero receives over 240 applications as new wave of Indian game studios takes shape

• Nearly two-thirds of applicants were founded in 2024 or later, pointing to a rapid influx of early-stage teams entering the industry.
• Micro-studios with teams of three to four developers now represent the dominant structure among new Indian game startups.
• Mobile studios continue to ship faster, reinforcing the platform’s role as the industry’s most reliable path to market.

India’s gaming incubator LVL Zero has received more than 240 applications for its inaugural cohort as early-stage development expands in the ecosystem.

Backed by MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies, and Chimera VC, the programme attracted teams building across mobile, PC, console, and gaming infrastructure products after opening applications on January 26th. 

Nearly 46.9% of applicants were founded in 2025, while 66.8% were established in 2024 or later, pointing to a sharp increase in new studio formation.

The data suggests Indian founders are increasingly targeting premium platforms, with 58.5% of applicants developing for PC and 36.1% for consoles. 

However, mobile teams continue to ship faster, with roughly 25% of mobile-only studios already operating live products compared to lower release rates among PC and console developers.

Live operations and analytics

More than 30% of applicants referenced live operations systems, retention metrics, or user acquisition strategies at the design stage, signalling a shift toward data-driven product planning. 

Moreover, AI adoption is also becoming more common, with 22.8% of applicants integrating machine learning or generative tools into development pipelines.

LVL Zero will select 10 startups for its first cohort, each receiving a $10,000 equity-free grant and a 100-day development sprint aimed at helping teams transition from prototype to market-ready products.

“What the applicant pool shows clearly is that India’s gaming ecosystem is entering a new formation phase," said LvL Zero head of incubation Sagar Nair. “We are seeing a surge of small, ambitious studios building across multiple platforms, experimenting with new technologies, and thinking about global audiences from day one. 

“The challenge now is not creativity or ambition, it is execution. The next generation of Indian studios will be defined by how effectively they convert strong prototypes into scalable products, and that is exactly the gap LVL Zero is designed to address."