'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Since its inception, BAFTA Breakthrough India has been a notable initiative that seeks to showcase and support "the next generation of creative talent working in Indian film, games and television." The previous year's talent list featured a number of exciting entrants, and 2022 is shaping up to be more of the same.
This year's BAFTA Breakthrough India cohort includes Nakul Verma, Game Director and Founder of Playbae. The studio's award-winning debut title, In My Shadow, has been praised for its unique mechanics, imaginative levels, and puzzles.
In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Angshuman Dutta, Nakul Verma, one of the 10 emerging talents at BAFTA Breakthrough India 2022, talks about his love for video games, Playbae, In My Shadow, and the exciting opportunity at BAFTA Breakthrough.
Trending
Looking for Crossword hints & solutions? Check out latest NYT Mini Crossword Answers, LA Times Crossword Answers, and Atlantic Crossword Answers
Nakul Verma on being selected for BAFTA Breakthrough India 2022, his experience of developing games and his love for the medium
Q: The BAFTA Breakthrough India is an excellent initiative for nurturing and growing talent, and fostering creativity and imagination. Previous participants include a number of exciting new talents, including Raji - An Ancient Epic’s art director.
How does it feel to be selected for this prestigious initiative by an industry jury?
Nakul: BAFTA Breakthrough India is an amazing initiative indeed. I've always looked up to the team behind Raji, especially Shruti and Avichal, and now, to get the opportunity to represent the upcoming Indian creative talent just like they did last year is an honor for me.
I truly hope that I can represent the industry to the best of my ability and inspire the young talent coming up.
Q: How did you get involved in the art of game development? Is that something you loved from your childhood or something that slowly grew into?
Nakul: I loved playing games, just like many children do. I also loved technology. This love of games and fascination towards technology is what led me into creating games as full experiences and not just scripts of code. In the end, it was my passion towards converting my imagination into creations that has brought me so far.
Q: Given that Indian society at large is yet to fully comprehend and grasp the potential of video games as a product and a medium, did you face any such struggle while deciding to get into game development here?
Nakul: Thankfully, I faced no external resistance. My family and friends were very supportive and I always had the resolve to convince myself that I could do this. However, making games, especially as a business, is really hard.
It was so hard that there were moments when the stress and crunch of work would fill up to the brim and you would almost regret all your decisions. In these moments, it would surely help if there are conveniently accessible resources for indie developers through institutions that we can resort to for learning and sharing.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your indie studio, Playbae, and the games and other cultural products that inspired you to start this journey.
Nakul: Playbae is a small indie developer from Gurugram with the vision of crafting innovative experiences that can challenge the existing possibilities of design in video games. I am the solo founder of Playbae and I collaborate with talent from all around the globe to bring this vision to life.
Playbae's debut commercial title, In My Shadow, was inspired by the lovely Indie gem, Limbo, which also happens to be the game that introduced me to the artful world of indie games. Ever since then, I've always wanted to create games that can inspire and do more than just collect downloads.
Q: Playbae’s latest project was In My Shadow, an award-winning puzzler. Can you describe it for our readers? What were the inspirations behind the title?
Nakul: In My Shadow is an imaginative puzzle game in which you play with shadows in your own unique ways to solve logical platforming puzzles.
Before starting Playbae, I had played and admired a lot of indie games. In My Shadow was a result of me being inspired by other innovative titles such as Monument Valley, Portal, Braid, etc., along with the desire of adding my own imaginative twist.
Q: Developing a game is no easy feat, more so when one is an indie developer working out more than 50 levels. How was the experience of getting In My Shadow off the ground? What did it feel like to have In My Shadow win the “Best Upcoming Game” award at the India GDC?
Nakul: You got that right! Easy is the last word I would associate with indie game development, but it is, without a doubt, very rewarding. The journey of development is long and tiring, but the destination is to have your creation presented in front of thousands, if not millions of people.
That is one of the best feelings for a creator, which they would not trade anything for. The Best Upcoming GOTY at IGDC 2018 was the very first time I got a glimpse of this dream, and after that, I never stopped chasing it.
Q: How have the reactions been since the game was released?
Nakul: It takes a while to process the reactions but it feels very exciting and calming at the same time. I am forever thankful to everyone who played the game, showed their love, shared their feedback and supported the development. I have had a lot to learn from my mistakes throughout this journey and this experience is probably the most important reward for me.
Q: Did your experience with making mobile games, with the two titles that you developed, in any way influence or affect the development of In My Shadow?
Nakul: Not really. My previous titles were more of hobby projects that I made to just play around with my ideas and learn at the same time. In My Shadow was a fresh start and bigger than anything else I had done previously.
Q: Although quite in its budding stage, we have had a number of interesting games coming from the subcontinent, including Raji, Missing, In My Shadow, and the works of Studio Oleomingus. How would you describe the indie development scene in India? Any advice for people who are looking to develop their own titles?
Nakul: It is extremely refreshing to see India's indie developer scene is blossoming with more new projects popping up very frequently. India definitely has the talent and creativity but just needs better direction, which I believe has been improving recently.
For anyone looking to start their indie journey just like us, do not hesitate to reach out to us so that you can learn from the many mistakes that we made (I certainly did) and take this industry forward.
Q: With an ever-growing player base and a focus on gaming at large, what do you think about the future of game development in India?
Nakul: It will keep rising and I am fairly positive that we will see more variety in the genre and improvement in the average quality of games from India.
Q: It’s been almost a year since In My Shadow came out. What is Playbae currently working on?
Nakul: We are working on making this sustainable for the long run and hopefully connecting with more partners that can help Playbae to continue to push the boundaries of imagination in video games.
Are you stuck on today's Wordle? Our Wordle Solver will help you find the answer.
