Exclusive Interview with Stewart Neal, Studio Director of Sumo India Studios

Sumo India Studios is focused on providing different exciting video games with technologies

The online gaming industry is thriving in the global market, especially post-pandemic. The advancements in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, IoT, and so on have created ample opportunities for digital game players to earn a standard living out of the online gaming industry. The global online gaming market is expected to hit US$339.95 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 8.94%.

Here is an exclusive interview with Stewart Neal, Studio Director of Sumo India Studios, who elaborated on the special features of the company regarding video games or digital games on behalf of Sumo Digital.

1. Kindly brief us about the company, its specialization, and the services that your company offers.

Sumo India Studios is part of Sumo Digital, which is an award-winning company made up of 11 studios currently. Besides India, it also has studios in the UK, Canada, and Europe. So the company is pretty vast when it comes to services in video game development.

Sumo India began its journey back in 2007 with a studio in Pune— it was the second to open under the Sumo Digital name. It was a bold statement that the team is dedicated to finding talented people from around the world. Since then, it has been involved in developing highly acclaimed video games such as Hitman 2, Forza Horizon 4 and 5, Team Sonic Racing, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

The company has not only worked on games with fellow Sumo Digital studios, but also with big external partners such as Apple, Microsoft, and Sony to name a few. Last year, it announced that there will be an opening of a studio in Bangalore – alongside expansion to the Pune studio which is going to provide even more opportunities to offer specialized game development services and attract talented people to come and join us.

2. With what mission and objectives, the company was set up? In short, tell us about your journey since the inception of the company?    

Since Sumo Pune started, it has developed into a premier destination for console and PC games development in India.

Sumo Pune has been a tremendous success and become a premier destination for console and PC games development in India— growing to a 160-person co-development team across art, programming, design, QA, and production. Due to its ongoing success, the variety of world-class games it co-develops, and the global growth of its parent company, Sumo Group, the next step in the growth of Sumo in India was to open another studio in Bangalore.

Sumo Bangalore will initially have a focus on specialist engineering and art roles with other teams set to grow from this foundation.

With the combined efforts of both of our studios, we're striving to create the biggest and best games out there.

3. Mention some of the awards, achievements, recognitions, and clients' feedback that you feel are notable and valuable for the company.

The team has been fortunate to receive a number of awards and accolades celebrating Sumo India's team members and their success. Lead artist, Gagandeep Wason, received a Golden Pixel Award in 2020 by Veda Animation College in the gaming category while Senior Producer, Sukhnoor Kaur, was listed among the 'Wonder Woman 100' for 2022.

As part of Sumo Digital, it has also enjoyed success in big awards for the games that the team worked on including helping Sackboy: A Big Adventure scoop two BAFTA Game Awards.

4. Kindly mention some of the major challenges the company has faced till now.    

One of the major challenges that the company had to navigate was recruiting the right talent. India has a diverse talent pool including programmers, coders, developers, designers, animators, and artists— one naming it and India has the resources with relevant skillsets. However, the competition is fierce and onboarding the right talent is indeed challenging for the HR and Recruitment team.

The second biggest challenge has been the perception of games by the people in India, as well as the game industry overall. Surprisingly, many still look at games as if they operate the way they used to be in the 80s when they used to have consoles with cassettes.

Games were more indie-like and used to be very small in size. In the last 30-40 years, the team has come a long way and games play and react differently now. This mindset is limiting the Indian audience into thinking it is solely for entertainment and that gaming cannot be a viable career option.

However, Sumo India Studios is committed and doing its best to make people aware of how big the games industry is globally and to give them opportunities to enter the industry through education and training. It has several trainee roles open at Sumo Pune, if anyone is interested in applying, one can visit the official Sumo Pune website!

5. What is your biggest USP that differentiates the company from competitors?

I'd say, firstly, the team is committed to supporting developers that are keen to step into the game industry through education. It has specifically curated a trainee program that offers holistic training and helps people transform into professional game developers.

The trainees get the opportunity to interact and network with teams at Sumo Group Studios across all levels. Secondly, it is one of the few gaming studios in India which develops console and AAA games.

The company prioritizes the players, and the sole aim is to provide them with high-end gaming experiences that they can cherish for years to come. This is the reason why there is a focus on efforts for conceptualizing innovative games and releasing them across formats.

6. How do you see the company and the industry in the future ahead?

The Indian game industry is on its path of growth and development. Research has suggested that the market is expected to hit US$4.88 billion by 2026. India comprises a significant portion of the world's largest youth population and it is projected that the country will be one of the leading gaming markets at a global level.

The surging youth population, rising disposable incomes, as well as introduction and adoption of innovative gaming formats coupled with the increasing usage of devices will be the major factors contributing to the growth of the Indian gaming market. But specifically on Sumo India's future, it is working on various AAA projects currently and will be able to share the details officially once there is a wrap-up of the development process. The team also has plans to actively hire diverse talent in teams across all departments.

7. The future of IoT/ artificial intelligence/ML/cloud computing in India.

Technologies such as cloud computing, AI, and ML are gradually gaining prominence in the gaming sector. AI is enabling the personalization and customization of gaming experiences wherein characters behave creatively and realistically similar to being controlled by a human player. It consistently evolves, something the company is working on within the studios.

With cloud gaming, the dream of streaming video games is turning into a reality. But people forget that it's still in its infancy. Cross-platform gaming is now possible all due to cloud adoption and some games have already implemented it— so there's certainly an exciting future ahead.