Team Startupcity

• Raised $1M in seed funding to build a polished MVP and vertical slice
• Collaborates with Bollywood action director Vicky Arora for combat design
• Plans to raise $5M more to enter full-scale game production

Shortgun, an emerging Indian game development company established by some of the lead creators behind Rogue Heist, has revealed the closure of an effective seed round worth $1 million ( Rs 8+ crore) backed by a syndicate of angel investors.

 The investment will be used to continue developing the studio's headlining title, with a heavy emphasis on bringing to market a high-quality Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and a "vertical slice" a 5–8-minute refined, playable demo that highlights the game's fundamental mechanics, narrative, and aesthetics.

The studio will raise an additional $5 million in a second round to move from prototype to full production.

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This early capital will also power strategic recruitment, supporting the building out of Shortgun's compact but high-capacity team, which works primarily out of India with a handpicked roster of international collaborators. The studio has embraced a player-centric philosophy emphasizing the delivery of deeply immersive experiences through closely focused design and narrative-rich gameplay.

In a thrilling collaboration, Shortgun has joined forces with Vicky Arora   the celebrated Bollywood action director behind such blockbusters as URI, RRR, TANAAV, and the upcoming Ramayan Part. Arora oversees the action choreography of the game, making combat mechanics cinematically engaging as well as narrative-sensible.

Shortgun's founding members are Ashish Beuria and Neha Hooda, who previously were part of Rogue Heist. More than 25% of their development skill is dispersed abroad.

The funding enables us to go beyond initial ideas and deliver a vertical slice that really embodies the feel of our game," explained Vidhit Mehta, Founder of Shortgun Games. "We are dedicated to polishing every aspect  from systems to tone of story  to create a world-class proof of concept that can court international publishing partners.

 Jeet Chandan, Managing Director say,  

We are not building another shooter,We aim to create a flagship Indian IP that combines cinematic storytelling, emotional choice-making, and detailed gameplay mechanics all on a mid-studio budget. This investment allows us to experiment creatively and challenge boundaries seldom met in Indian gaming.

Game Director Ashish R. Beuria echoed the sentiment: “This phase is about creative freedom. We’re exploring unconventional mechanics and experimenting boldly to surprise players. Our goal is to challenge the perception of what an Indian-made shooter can be.”

India's gaming sector, worth $5.21 billion in 2024, is poised to quadruple to $22.53 billion by the year 2034. Supported by this growth, investment in online gaming has jumped, with more than Rs 22,931 crore ($2.75 billion) raised between FY20 and FY24.