Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah maker Neela Films has forayed into gaming, animation, and ecommerce with its new venture Neela Mediatech Pvt. Ltd.
The company has infused INR 24 Cr in the new venture. With this new venture, the company will diversify and extend the IP beyond show production. The new vertical aims to reach 100 Mn game downloads by March 2024.
The new gaming portal, ‘TMKOC’ Play, will be based on the popular show theme, reliving the TV characters for the online audience going beyond television. It will also host free-to-play games, cloud-based adventures, and blockchain-powered quests to virtual reality odysseys. Besides, it will also offer animated shows and rhymes catering to children.
The gaming vertical has debuted with 15 games across various languages, including English, Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi and Bengali. The platform claims to have 5 Mn downloads till now. The games offered will be across single and multiple-play formats like Bhide Scooter Race, Run Jetha Run, and Jump Bhide Jump, among many more.
“We’ve been at the helm in the entertainment space for decades, and now, with gaming emerging as the next frontier of entertainment, we’re taking a bold leap to offer our audience more excitement and value. Our strategic vision includes reinforcing our content pipeline, captivating the mobile-first gaming community, and establishing ourselves as the go-to YouTube Channel for children,” Asit Kumarr Modi, managing director of Neela Film Production and Neela Mediatech, said.
This development comes at a time when the Indian government is also increasing its focus on the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector. The AVGC sector now accounts for about 20% of the Indian Media and Entertainment landscape, as per industry estimates.
Back in 2022, the government announced the formation of an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) task force, which was later constituted in April under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB)
In a bid to bolster the growth of India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) industry and nurture its ecosystem, the government is contemplating an increase in the incentives provided through the Incentive Scheme for Audio-Visual Co-production and Shooting of Foreign Films in India, MIB secretary Apurva Chandra said last month, as per reports.
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