Indus, the Indian battle royale mobile game, has garnered over five million pre-registrations and is preparing to enter closed beta during the upcoming “festive season” in 2023.
This will be the second battle royale game developed by SuperGaming, following the success of their previous title, Battle Stars. Although Battle Stars only introduced these game modes after its launch, it has gained over five million players and even celebrated Indian independence day with a Delhi-themed map. However, Indus has already exceeded Battle Stars’ player base through pre-registrations alone, indicating that the game may achieve significant success upon its release.
SuperGaming’s CEO and co-founder, Roby John, who was interviewed last month, stated, “The Indus Closed Beta trailer is our way of showcasing the Indian gaming industry by featuring influential real-life icons from culture, sports, and content creation. With over five million pre-registrations so far and the support of a passionate community, we firmly believe that Indus is leading India’s gaming revolution.”
A Potential Competitor to BGMI?
Although Indus hasn’t directly positioned itself as a rival to BGMI (BattleGrounds Mobile India), it faces tough competition from this game. BGMI was an Indian adaptation of PUBG designed for the mobile market, created by Krafton after the original game was removed due to its connection to Chinese companies like Tencent. Despite being later reinstated in 2023, BGMI remains incredibly popular.
While it’s challenging to determine the extent of patriotism’s influence, it’s clear that Indus aims to establish itself as a distinctively Indian product. By featuring prominent personalities like gaming YouTuber Techno Gamerz and Olympic sharpshooter Heena Sidhu, along with its “indo-futuristic” aesthetic, the game seeks to differentiate itself from other similar titles.
With its substantial pre-registration numbers and the upcoming beta, we will closely monitor Indus’ performance to determine whether SuperGaming has a genuine hit on their hands.