Indian-based Game, Indus, witnesses 8.5 million pre-registration: Get access to Indus Game on your Android

One year after pre-registrations for its made-in-India battle royale game Indus opened in January 2023, Pune-based game company SuperGaming has amassed 8.5 million registrations.

After a restricted closed beta for a select group of iOS users in December 2023, the firm has also made the game available in beta for Android smartphones through Google Play. Additionally, according to SuperGaming, the game would run on inexpensive Android cellphones that run approximately Rs 8,000, making it playable by a large number of gamers worldwide.

According to SuperGaming's Technical Director Sujeet Kumar, "We want to treat players on mobile as first-class citizens rather than an afterthought." The largest market segment in India for gaming is mobile."

The game's creator also gave a statement that the Indus Engine, a completely proprietary sandbox shooter tech stack, allows us to optimize the game even further for a smoother playing experience, even though Indus runs on Unity.

Accessing Indus game on low-end Android devices

SuperGaming said that Indus currently runs at over 40fps on 2022 low-end Android devices with 4GB of RAM, with several visual details such as environments and shadows still under internal testing. Android flagships in 2023 will hit 60 frames per second, and every visual detail will be maximized in internal tests.

"SuperGaming is constantly optimizing Indu to support cheaper devices. Most smartphones bought in 2020 should be able to use it at a playable frame rate. Visual accuracy may vary depending on the exact hardware used and the user's custom graphics settings," said the startup.

Making the game available to a wider consumer is key for Indus as it aims to embrace fighting games in the battle royale genre, where online players fight to the death until only one is left.

What other mobile games compete in this category?

The genre is currently dominated by Krafton's Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Garena's Free Fire, with other players such as Epic Games-owned Fortnite and Microsoft's Call of Duty. Mayhem Studios, the studio backed by skill gaming unicorn Mobile Premier League (MPL), also recently announced a closed beta for its battle royale game Underworld Gang Wars.

Gameplay and Release Date

It will include a full battle royale experience and several new features that have been tested and refined in previous Indus Community Playtests, the Indus Esports Invitational, and a limited closed beta event for iOS, the company said.

Indus is the most ambitious game from SuperGaming, which previously developed games such as MaskGun, Silly Royale, Battle Stars, and Tower Conquest. The game studio, whose investors include Pac-Man, Elden Ring publisher Bandai Namco, Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund, Skycatcher, BAce Capital, and Dream Incubator, first announced Indus in January 2022 and plans to release the game on mobile platforms, consoles and computer.

The game takes place in a futuristic setting known as "Indo-Futurism," which the startup characterizes as "illogically Indian in its exploration and presentation of science fiction." The plot is set in the Indus Valley Civilization and draws significantly on Indian mythology and culture.

In November 2023, SuperGaming also announced an integration with Fortnite to attract a global audience. As part of this integration, players will be able to experience Indus' gameplay, map, and mods in Fortnite Creator Mode on PC and macOS.