Tencent is betting on India’s growing “Orange Economy” as the Chinese tech giant on Friday announced a multi-year commitment worth over Rs 10 crore towards skill development, training and mentorship programmes for the country’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector.
The company signed separate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and the Game Developers Association of India (GDAI) to support India’s gaming and creative technology ecosystem through industry training, grassroots developer engagement and international collaboration.
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The move comes as India increasingly positions the “Orange Economy” — sectors driven by creativity, culture and intellectual property — as a new growth engine for jobs, tourism and digital services. India’s Economic Survey 2025-26 highlighted creative industries such as gaming, live entertainment and media as high-multiplier sectors capable of generating employment across hospitality, logistics, advertising and local services.
While the Survey focused heavily on India’s emerging concert economy, it also argued that creative industries could become a key pillar of the country’s services-led growth story if backed by better infrastructure, easier regulations and stronger talent pipelines.
Tencent’s latest push appears aligned with that broader policy direction.
The company said its three-year partnership with SEPC will focus on capacity building, facilitating industry dialogue and helping Indian AVGC companies access global value chains. India aims to train and employ two million professionals in the AVGC-XR sector by 2030.
“Our goal goes beyond investing in programmes. We want to work with local partners to build practical pathways for talent, creators, and studios,” said Danny Marti, head of public policy and global affairs at Tencent.
Separately, Tencent’s partnership with GDAI will focus on grassroots skilling initiatives, including a National Game Jam targeting over 10,000 students every year, Train-the-Trainer programmes for educators and participation in the Indian Game Developers Conference (IGDC).
Shruti Verma, chief executive officer at GDAI, said India was at a “defining moment” in its gaming journey and that globally competitive talent would be crucial to positioning the country as a hub for game development and interactive entertainment.
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According to gaming research firm Niko Partners, India is currently the fastest-growing gaming market in Asia and the Middle East and North Africa region, with player spending expected to hit $1.5 billion by 2028 and the gamer base projected to reach 724 million by 2029.
Tencent also said it would explore partnerships with local institutions around internships, professional exposure and knowledge exchange programmes. The company added that bringing titles such as Honor of Kings to India was part of its broader effort to contribute to the local gaming, esports and creator ecosystem.
