MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies and Chimera VC launched ‘LVL Zero’, India’s first equity-free game incubator, at the India Game Developers Conference 2025 in Chennai with Google as an outreach partner
LVL Zero offers grants of $10,000 non-equity to 10 startups per cohort and aims to support more than 100 interactive Indian gaming startups over the next five years
The incubator also offers platform access and combined support from global and domestic industry leaders with the aim of positioning India as a premier game development hub.
MIXI Global Investments, Nazara Technologies
and Chimera VC launched gaming incubator LVL Zero. Launched during the Indian Game Developers Conference (IGDC) 2025 in Chennai, the incubator aims to strengthen the Indian game development ecosystem by helping startups with investor and publisher readiness, as well as access to tools and mentorship.
Open to Indian gaming startups, LVL Zero offers a $100,000 non-equity grant fund. Each cohort will include 10 startups with grants of $10,000 without equity capital per startup. The program will focus on providing challenging mentorship, access to capital and global publishing networks targeting more than 100 startups over the next five years.
The gaming industry in India has experienced a dramatic growth in recent years. In FY25, the Indian gaming market was valued at approximately $3.8 billion and is projected to reach $9.2 billion by FY29having a robust CAGR of 20%.
However, despite the growing number of gaming startups, only a few have achieved global publication or large-scale operations. LVL Zero aims to bridge this gap by capitalizing on the growing interest of international investors and publishers in the fast-growing Indian gaming industry.
Bringing together powerful forces from across the industry, LVL Zero brings together the strengths of its partners. As India’s only publicly traded gaming company, Nazara Technologies has deep expertise in mobile gaming, eSports and publishing. Its domestic reach is complemented by MIXI Global Investments (the venture capital arm of Japan’s MIXI, Inc.), which offers Indian studios global market access and strategic guidance. A third partner, Chimera VC, specializes in early-stage Indian gaming and interactive entertainment startups, providing capital and network support to help them grow.
In addition, Google (Program Information Partner) will provide mentoring and support to participating teams. Using its app distribution platform, Google Play, the company will offer technical guidance and share information on developer development and user engagement to help startups increase their reach and impact.
