Mumbai, Mar 2: The Game Developer Association of India (GDAI), India’s apex industry body representing the Indian videogaming ecosystem, today announced significant additions to its leadership to strengthen governance and policy engagement. GDAI has appointed Epic Games India leader, Shruti Verma, as Chief Executive Officer as it looks to scale its institutional and industry engagement. Sean (Hyunil) Sohn, Chief Executive of Krafton India has joined the GDAI Board while former Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) Secretary, Apurva Chandra has been appointed as Advisor to the Board. The appointments expand GDAI’s leadership, bringing together global industry expertise and senior policy experience.
The leadership reinforcement builds on GDAI’s already strong core, including Manish Agarwal, Manvendra Shukul, Nitish Mittersain, Rajan Navani, Rajesh Rao, Sridhar Muppidi, and comes at a time when India’s videogaming and interactive entertainment sector is expanding rapidly. Announced ahead of International Women’s Day, Shruti Verma’s transition from leading Epic’s India operations to heading the industry body reflects the increasing presence of women in senior leadership roles within the country’s technology and videogaming ecosystem.
This announcement aligns closely with GDAI’s Vision 2035, a long-term, industry-first vision to position India among the world’s top game development hubs by enabling creators, studios, and talent to build globally competitive intellectual property from India. The commitment to this vision is anchored in a clear mandate to strengthen game development talent through structured education and skilling; enable Indian studios to build globally resonant games rooted in innovation, and Indian storytelling; and policy enablement with the government to create a stable future-forward framework for the videogaming ecosystem.
Emphasising the need for forward-looking regulatory alignment, Apurva Chandra, Former Secretary, MIB and Advisor to the GDAI Board, said, “India has taken important steps in shaping the AVGC policy to support the video games sector. I look forward to contributing to clear, enabling regulatory frameworks that provide stability for industry while advancing India’s global competitiveness.”
The induction of Sean (Hyunil) Sohn brings deep global operating and publishing expertise to GDAI’s leadership. His presence signals growing international confidence in India’s game development capabilities and reinforces GDAI’s commitment to connecting Indian studios with global best practices, capital, and international markets.
Sean Sohn, Chief Executive, Krafton India and GDAI Board Member, states,
“India’s gaming sector stands at an inflection point, with scale, talent, and innovation converging. GDAI has helped create that momentum, and I look forward to supporting its efforts to deepen governance and strengthen India’s position in the global games industry.”
On assuming the role and charting GDAI’s forward strategy, Shruti Verma, CEO, GDAI, said,
“I am honoured to step into this responsibility at a pivotal moment for India’s videogaming ecosystem. As we strengthen GDAI’s executive leadership at the Board level, our focus will be on building a cohesive, future-ready framework that aligns policy, industry, and innovation.”
With this strengthened leadership team and a recently appointed Governing Council overseeing day-to-day operations and governance, GDAI reaffirms its commitment to building a globally competitive, innovation-led and responsibly governed videogaming ecosystem. As India emerges as one of the world’s fastest-growing markets in the segment, GDAI is focused not just on scale, but on sustainable value creation, original IP’s, and global leadership.