Bollywood is game for more

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After movies on mobile phones, comes India's first movie-based video game for PCs. Indian game developers are looking to tap the popularity of Bollywood movies by building games around films and actors.

With 54 per cent of the Indian population below the age of 25, the country's only getting younger. And entertainment wizards are fast cashing in on the aspect.

FXLab Studios, a leading developer of high-quality game products for PCs and video game consoles, has tied up with Yash Raj Films to develop a video game titled D:2.5, based on the hit Bollywood thriller Dhoom 2.

This is the first time an Indian movie is being made into a full-length PC game. The game is set in a 3D world, featuring characters which resemble those in the movie.

Sashi Reddi, founder and chairman, FXLab Studios, says, "D:2.5 will boast of international AAA quality production standards. The offline game will stick to the storyline presented in the movie so that the gamers can expect an exciting finish with a chance to play skateboarding sequences and dance to the superhit songs".

D:2.5 is designed to give players the opportunity to assume the role of their favourite characters from the movie and make their way through numerous exciting missions and mini-games. The game will be launched in April 2008.

Though the market for movie-based gaming (MBG) and celebrity-based gaming (CBG) has been proliferating in Hollywood, Bollywood was so far untapped. With more celebrity icons than religious idols in India, the gamers are now gearing up to satiate their creativity.

FXLabs will be launching its celebrity-based video game, Agni, in January 2008. The game is loosely based on Dante's divine comedy Inferno. It is a story of a woman protagonist who goes through various levels of hell looking for her daughter.

Reddi says, "There are terrific opportunities for both MBG and CBG. Outside of Bollywood, we have very few celebrities in our list of probables "" one can look at cricket stars or upcoming stars such as Sania Mirza".

The company is developing a game on Archie Comics as well. According to Reddi, the company is planning to get necessary licenses to develop games based on Hollywood. "The Hollywood properties will be the next step for us," he adds.

Entertainment-related applications are accessed by 54 per cent active Internet users. And that's what the gaming industry is aiming to tap. Besides this, there is a sentiment that the mobile gamers switch to PCs and online gaming for want of a superior gaming experience.

With an average of 1,000-plus flicks releasing every year, there is lot to be explored by gaming companies. And the domestic box office, which is pegged at Rs 530 crore and expected to reach Rs 1,020 crore by 2010, promises to offer a lucrative opportunity.