FAU-G: Domination, made-in-India shooter game, open for pre-registration on Android

Gondal said, “India has amazing game design and development talent, and this signals India's arrival as a major player in the global gaming industry. Along with Nazara's publishing experience we're excited to bring a Made-in-India game to the world.”

Nazara struck a partnership with nCore in June to publish FAU-G: Domination, marking a high-profile addition to the portfolio of its publishing unit, which started in October 2023.

Different game modes

FAU-G: Domination is a 5v5 multiplayer shooter game, which means two teams of five players compete against each othe . It will feature modern-day military aesthetics with Indian characters, each with unique backstories.

The title will launch with multiple team and one-man army modes. Each mode will have a unique winning scenario with defined rules, the company said.

nCore intends to make money from the game by allowing gamers to buy battle passes and cosmetic items to customise their characters, gear and profile among others through in-app purchases.

Players who pre-register will get access to a set of in-game cosmetic items, called tbe Beast Collection, which will include six accessories — frame, banner, avatar, sticker, spray, and charm — and six gun skins — sawed-off shotgun, USP, Scout rifle, M4, Uzi and Kabar, the company said.

The title has been developed by Dot9 Games, a Mumbai-based gaming studio backed by nCore. Dot9 Games was set up in 2021 by Deepak Ail, Srinivasan Veeraraghavan, Kaiwan Yezdani, and Prasad Ramdas, all of whom worked with Gondal in his earlier venture Indiagames, which was acquired by Disney in 2011.

The original FAU-G game was an action game featuring hand-to-hand single-player combat. It was developed by Bengaluru-based nCore Games, a different studio under the nCore banner, which subsequently shutdown.

In an earlier interview to Moneycontrol, Gondal told that the game has been built entirely from the ground-up with a different engine, game tech, and story.

Read: FAU-G returns: Vishal Gondal’s nCore eyes gaming revival with 'Domination'

After several playtests and positive player feedback, we’re confident that FAU-G: Domination is in a state that Indian gamers expect, said Ail, who is the CEO of Dot9 Games.

'True-to-life defence representation'

nCore, which counts Galaxy Interactive and Animoca Brands among its investors, said it also collaborated with Pune-based defence manufacturer NIBE Limited as expert to ensure a "true-to-life representation" of India’s efforts to the "widest possible audience" in FAU-G: Domination.

The company said this initiative will provide people a glimpse into India’s growing defence sector and enable players to learn about the country's self-sustained efforts while playing the game.

“The next-generation of the nation are digital natives and FAU-G: Domination gives us a platform to showcase what keeps India safe and secure" said Ganesh Nibe, Chairman and Managing Director, NIBE Group.

At the event, Nazara said it will donate Rs 25 lakh to Bharat Ke Veer Trust, conceptualised by Akshay Kumar and implemented by the home ministry, to support the families of armed forces martyrs.

FAU-G: Domination will also feature specific cosmetic items such as badges. Entire proceeds from the sale of these items will go towards Bharat Ke Veer Trust.

The launch comes at a time when India’s gaming sector is showing signs of maturity in user behaviour and habits. The fledgling sector is also reaching an inflection point in terms of scale and willingness to pay.

This is spurring local studios to create bigger, better and more complex games that can eventually compete with their international counterparts and position India as a global gaming hub.

Also read: Indian gaming studios see big action; take bolder, ambitious bets

India is the fastest-growing games market in Asia, both in terms of revenue and gamers, according to Niko Partners, a market research and consulting firm that covers video games, e-sports and streaming in the continent.

The combined mobile, PC and console gaming revenue is projected to reach $943 million in 2024, up 13.6 percent from the previous year.

The market is expected to surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2025 and reach $1.4 billion in 2028, growing at a 5-year compound annual growth rate of 11.1 percent, it said. These figures do not include revenues from real-money games or exports.