Tag: gaming

Indian gaming industry awaits tax exemptions, SEZ in upcoming budget

The Union Budget 2025 are set to make a range of products more affordable, benefiting both industries and consumers across various sectors.

Recently, a consortium of 70 Indian gaming companies wrote to the PMO and I&B Ministry suggesting a reduction of GST on video games to a 12 percent bracket to promote sustainability and better cash flow for game companies, as well as exemptions on import/customs duties, IGST, and any cess for proprietary hardware development kits used for testing and developing video games.

Cheating scandal hits Philips OneBlade BGMI Cup, Nodwin bans three teams

Recently, Nodwin Gaming disqualified and banned three teams from the Philips OneBlade Battleground Mobile India Cup 2024 for cheating by using unauthorized and unethical methods during the official esports tournament.

CS Esports, Falcon Esports, and RK Esports were banned for using third-party software in their initial five matches. Interestingly, they were among the top four teams in the overall standings after Day 1.

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Indian esports ecosystem slows down. Who is to blame?

The survey highlights a shift beyond metro cities, with Tier-2 cities like Ahmedabad, Kochi, Surat, and Rajkot becoming new hubs for game development due to cost efficiency and growing talent pools.

In India, the esports ecosystem revolves around two major game titles, Krafton’s Battleground Mobile India (BGMI) and Riot Games’ first-person shooter (FPS) game Valorant. Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 has yet to make a significant impact.

Indian gaming consortium writes to PMO, I&B Ministry seeking tax relief and clear classification

The representation letter to the Prime Minister’s Office and to the office of the Minister of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) was signed by 70 companies from the Indian video games and esports industry.

The consortium has made 10 suggestions to the newly formed government which includes reducing the GST on video games to a 12% bracket to promote sustainability and better cash flow for game companies, exempt import/customs duties, IGST, and any cess for proprietary hardware development kits used for testing and developing video games.

Epic Games CEO to fight against Apple’s app store policies

The new Digital Markets Act in Europe allowed Epic to launch its own Epic Games Store on iOS and to bring Fortnite back to the platform with reduced commissions to Apple.

Epic has been fighting Apple for years over the company’s revenue-sharing requirements in the App Store. While Epic’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple was defeated last year, many of its criticisms were echoed in a different lawsuit filed against Apple in March by the Department of Justice and 17 state attorneys general.

Telangana sets the stage for India’s distinct esports policies: Exclusive

In addition to the basic rate of 30 percent, a health and education cess at the rate of 4 percent of the amount of tax is levied. Thus the effective tax rate on lottery winnings comes up to 31.2 percent. (Image sourced via Unsplash)

Stakeholders met Telangana’s IT Minister to address issues like taxation on esports prize pools, distinguishing between skill-based and chance-based games, regulating gaming content creators and establishment of regulatory bodies.

Game over for profits? Industry unplugs concerns over GST

In addition to the basic rate of 30 percent, a health and education cess at the rate of 4 percent of the amount of tax is levied. Thus the effective tax rate on lottery winnings comes up to 31.2 percent. (Image sourced via Unsplash)

With the GST casting a shadow, the online gaming industry faces a tough choice: adapt and evolve their business models, or face a potential game over.