Indian gaming incubator LVL Zero has highlighted four of the studios in its inaugural cohort, each building games aimed at global audiences across PC, console and mobile.

Backed by MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies and Chimera VC, LVL Zero launched in late 2025 as what it bills as India's first equity-free gaming incubator. MIXI Global Investments is the corporate venture capital arm of Tokyo-based MIXI; Nazara Technologies is India's only publicly listed gaming company; and Chimera VC is an early-stage investor focused on Indian games and interactive entertainment.

The four studios — Impulse Mechanics, YK Game Studio, Xigma Games and Arckon Arts — are part of a 10-strong cohort selected from more than 240 applications. According to a release, each runs through LVL Zero's 100-day programme, which combines mentorship, operational guidance and publishing support to move startups from prototype to a market-ready product. Cohort members receive an equity-free grant of $10,000 (~£7,400) each, drawn from a total pool of $100,000 (~£74,200).

Impulse Mechanics is developing Mech It Happen!, a physics-based sandbox game in which players assemble machines to solve traversal, destruction and mechanical puzzles.

"A lot of building games focus heavily on construction itself, but we wanted to focus equally on what players are building for," said Siddharth Gupta, Founder of Impulse Mechanics. "At the core of our design philosophy, we believe games are supposed to be fun first, and we're learning how to scale that into a globally market-ready experience."

YK Game Studio is making Chiklet's Human Products, a satirical 'reverse-farming' game in which players control animals that farm so-called human products through absurdist survival mechanics. "Our focus is on building games with a strong 'X-factor' — concepts that instantly grab attention while still delivering deep and addictive gameplay systems," said Yash Kaushik, Founder of YK Game Studio.

Xigma Games, a Bangalore-based studio founded in 2015, is building Metal Haven, a sci-fi strategy game centred on base building, tactical combat, multiplayer alliances and long-term progression. The studio is best known for The Bonfire, a survival city-building series it says has passed 10m downloads worldwide.

"For us, building globally from India means making games that can stand beside the best games in the market regardless of where the studio is based," said Himanshu Manwani, Co-founder of Xigma Games. "The quality, polish, gameplay depth, and live operations all have to compete at an international standard."

Arckon Arts, a family-run studio, is working on Stickman Infinite Kingdom, a real-time strategy (RTS) title that blends cinematic stickman animation with tactical combat and narrative. The studio began in animation and YouTube content before moving into games.

"Global distribution platforms are now open to everyone, and Indian indie studios finally have access to international publishers, console programs, and ecosystem support," said Dinesh Kumar, Co-founder of Arckon Arts. "There has never been a better time for Indian developers to build globally."

Building for global markets

According to the release, several founders in the cohort pointed to AI-assisted tools — used for prototyping, balancing, production planning and analytics — as a way for smaller teams to build more ambitious games and iterate faster.

LVL Zero said it works with partners including Google Play, mobile analytics firm AppsFlyer, Microsoft's ID@Xbox programme for independent console developers, Gameramp, Lysto and Sentient, folding publishing, growth, monetisation and backend support into the 100-day programme.

Sagar Nair, Head of Incubation at LVL Zero, said: "What's becoming increasingly clear is that Indian indie studios are no longer thinking small. These founders are building with global player expectations, scalable systems, and long-term product thinking from day one. Whether it's sandbox simulation, strategy, live-service mechanics, or experimental gameplay loops, the ambition level has changed significantly."

LVL Zero has said it aims to back more than 100 Indian gaming startups over the next five years. The incubator launched at the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) in Chennai in late 2025, with Google Play as a knowledge partner.