Why AVGC-XR’s Next Growth Curve Will Be  Playable

By Pickle  March 5, 2026

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India’s future in AVGC-XR will be shaped by video gaming, esports, and collaborative ecosystems—unlocking jobs, exports, and digital creativity at scale. says Rajan Navani, Indian Digital Gaming and ­Esports ­Society (IDGES) and Chairman & Managing Director of the Jetline Group. Rajan Navani chats with Pickle

As President of Indian Digital Gaming and ­Esports ­Society (IDGES) and Chairman & Managing Director of the Jetline Group, Rajan Navani has helped JetSynthesys become a force in digital entertainment. In this exclusive interview, he shares with Pickle the transformative role of video gaming and esports in India’s AVGC-XR landscape and what it will take for the sector to reach its next level.

AVGC-XR is often discussed through the lens of animation and VFX. But video gaming and esports seem to be accelerating rapidly. How do you see their role in India’s Orange Economy?

Video gaming and esports are not peripheral to AVGC-XR—they are central to its future. Globally, the video gaming industry exceeds USD 200 billion, outpacing film and music combined. Esports alone is projected to cross USD 2–3 billion globally, with double-digit annual growth. In India, video gaming revenues are estimated at USD 3–3.5 billion, growing at 15–20% CAGR, and there are over 500 million gamers.

Esports is one of the fastest-growing segments, with revenues projected to grow at 20–25% annually over the next five years. Video gaming is inherently immersive, blending storytelling, design, real-time technology, AI, social interaction, and competition. It is AVGC-XR in motion.

What is driving this growth in India?

Three structural factors drive this growth:

Demographics—India has one of the world’s youngest populations.

Smartphone penetration and affordable data—the mobile revolution democratized video gaming.

Cultural shift—video gaming is now mainstream entertainment, not niche.

We’re also seeing the rise of local game development studios and content creators. Indian gamers are participants, streamers, competitors, and builders. Esports, in particular, is professionalizing rapidly with structured tournaments, league formats, sponsorship models, and broadcast ecosystems. Video gaming has become a significant industry.

How do institutional collaborations accelerate this trajectory?

Ecosystems scale when institutions align. Video gaming requires coordination across developers, publishers, technology providers, investors, regulators, event platforms, and education systems. Platforms that bring these layers together act as growth vectors. When policy meets publishers, developers meet investors, and global studios meet local talent, acceleration happens. Video gaming and esports are networked industries that thrive on partnerships. Structured B2B platforms help showcase Indian studios, enable co-development, encourage distribution partnerships, and align regulatory conversations, reducing friction in scaling.

Why is alignment with global publishers so critical?

Scale in video gaming is global by design. Large multiplayer games depend on publisher muscle—marketing, distribution, monetisation frameworks, and tournament circuits. When Indian studios align with global publishers, they gain access to international markets, advanced monetisation systems, and esports ecosystems.

This catapults local IP onto global stages. Imagine Indian-developed titles entering global esports circuits, or Indian tournaments attracting international participation. That’s how video gaming becomes an economic lever.

Where does esports fit into the broader AVGC-XR narrative?

Esports is immersive culture. It combines real-time engines, broadcast production, AR overlays, live audience engagement, and sponsorship ecosystems. Esports sits at the intersection of media, sport, and technology. Esports is a natural outcome of a well-designed and engaging video game. As AVGC-XR evolves, immersive experiences will define audience engagement—and esports is already there

The production sophistication in esports tournaments rivals television broadcasts, with digital-first fan engagement and diversified revenue streams. Esports could soon become a major export vertical for India.

How should policy evolve to further support video gaming and esports?

Policy must recognize video gaming and esports as structured industries, not grey areas. Priorities include:

While India’s new legal framework provides regulatory clarity by distinguishing social (video) gaming, esports, and related segments, further policy evolution is essential to shift from mere regulation to structured industry development, global competitiveness, and ecosystem growth. 

Incentives for game development—tax incentives, grants, co-development funds.

Infrastructure support—dedicated arenas, high-speed infrastructure, broadcast-ready venues.

Education and skill alignment—embedding game design, interactive storytelling, AI, and real-time engines into curricula.

International co-production agreements—facilitating partnerships with global publishers.

Video Gaming is digital manufacturing: it creates IP, jobs, exports, and soft power. Policy should reflect this scale of opportunity.

Where do you see the sector by 2030?

If executed well, India could double or triple video gaming revenues, become a major esports hosting destination, launch globally competitive game IP, and create hundreds of thousands of high-skilled jobs. But this requires coordinated growth—video gaming thrives when supported by animation, VFX, immersive tech, AI, and digital infrastructure. AVGC-XR is the umbrella; video gaming and esports are its fastest-moving limbs. Events that create narrative clarity signal to the world that India is serious about the Orange Economy—and such signals matter in capital markets.

Final thought—what is the biggest mindset shift required?

We need to see video gaming not just as a pastime, but as a platform—for economic growth, cultural export, youth engagement, and technological leadership. When government, industry, and academia collaborate, acceleration compounds. The next wave of immersive AVGC will be playable, competitive, and global. India is ready.

Video gaming is not just entertainment. It is immersive infrastructure for the Orange Economy.

Esports is immersive culture. It combines real-time engines, broadcast production, AR overlays, live audience engagement, and sponsorship ecosystems. Esports sits at the intersection of media, sport, and technology.

We need to see video gaming not just as a pastime, but as a platform—for economic growth, cultural export, youth engagement,  and technological leadership