New Delhi: After books and documentaries, author Amish Tripathi’s epic universe is set to expand and enter the online gaming space. Tripathi has partnered with gaming veteran Nouredine Abboud and superstar Amitabh Bachchan to produce Bharatvarsha/The Age of Bhaarat—a fantasy action role-playing game set in ancient India. It’s going to be released in late 2026.
“I have a 16-year-old son, Neel, who is an avid gamer. He said, ‘Dad, you must do it,’ and in a way I was just trying to impress him, because he convinced me that I should enter this space,” Tripathi told ThePrint.
The bestselling author of the Shiva Trilogy and Ram Chandra series had no idea about gaming before he was approached to join Tara Gaming Limited’s ambitious project last year.
“I learnt while working on the project. It was like a crash course,” he added. The Age of Bhaarat will have powerful warriors battling it out against invaders and rakshasas. The warriors will be helped by ancient sages.
For Tripathi, the move to gaming is not out of the ordinary. “I am a storyteller, and a storyteller can use various mediums to tell stories. I have done it in books and documentaries, and now it’s gaming,” said the author, who was also the host of Legends of Shiva with Amish and Legends of Ramayana with Amish–two popular docuseries on streaming.
With The Age of Bhaarat, the gaming company is inviting people to be saviours of the ancient land of India, by fighting against rakshasas and other demons.
“There are games on the epic traditions of other countries, be it China, like Black Myth: Wukong, Persia, or even Nordic mythology. So I see no reason why Indian epics cannot have a global crossover,” said Tripathi.
Tara Gaming also has actor Amitabh Bachchan and gaming veteran Nouredine Abboud as co-founders. Abboud has worked with video game publisher companies like Ubisoft and the video game studio Novaquark for games like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands.
India’s breakthrough into AAA gaming
The trailer shows powerful warriors, sweeping landscapes, mythical creatures, and an immersive storyline, inspired by Indian mythology and folklore. All of it is complemented by the familiar baritone voiceover of Bachchan. The player controls Forest Warden, a guardian of Anandpur, who wields a variety of weapons.
“Bharat, the land of ancient India. A blessed land of noble heroes and glittering cities. But where heroes rule, villains will attack, where wealth is plentiful, plunderers will pillage. The time has come to fight these invaders,” thundered his voice. The trailer shows rakshasas, and a hero holding a spear as he runs across different landscapes. He has a trishul tattooed on his back, and wears a dhoti paired with boots. The trailer ends with the proclamation of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’.
AAA (triple-A) games are high-budget, high-profile titles typically produced and distributed by major publishers. These games have high-end graphics, intricate designs, and compelling narratives that require investing in advanced technology and substantial resources.
“Gaming is a massive industry, and this is a huge opportunity. AAA gaming is huge in India, but it has not taken off in an Indian context,” said Tripathi. The Age of Bhaarat is poised to be India’s breakthrough into AAA gaming on PC and consoles.
Popular AAA gaming franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Assassin’s Creed are extremely popular in India. Now, Assassin’s Creed is a multibillion-dollar IP with a string of games, as well as novels, comics and even movies. The Age of Bhaarat too has plans to expand to films, TV series and merchandise, as per the official press release.
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Making of the game
The first two days in 2024 were spent in creating a vision for how the game would look, before developing the characters—be it detailing like Om written on a temple on top of Kailash mountain or a warrior wearing a rudraksh mala. The fighting techniques, too, are distinctly Indian. Besides the single-player combat, the gameplay allows one to team up with allies in a co-op mode.
“The Age of Bhaarat is unique because it has a purpose–of protecting your tribe, of defending dharma. You will have fun playing, but will also helpfully learn something from it,” said Tripathi.
A team of technical experts from all over the world is part of the project. There is also a plan to open a development centre in Pune, to try and incorporate as much Indian talent as possible. The company has already assembled a team of 100 developers across Paris, Montreal, and now, Pune.
The game will have options of combat traversal, weapon and skill customisation, all in a distinctly Indian style.
“We are shooting Indian martial art forms like kalaripayattu through motion capture in a studio in Hyderabad, which will then be rendered into gameplay. The game will be extremely stylish and sleek, too,” said Tripathi.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)