The Age of Bhaarat, an upcoming action RPG set in Ancient India, is being developed by a team that includes former Ghost Recon producer Nouredine Abboud. He is bringing his expertise to The Age of Bhaarat, which like Ghost Recon, is an ambitious AAA experience with a focus on combat.
Despite India’s incredible wealth of culture, there are shockingly few mainstream examples of Indian representation in the gaming world, and even fewer examples which explore the country’s ancient history. Often, it’s relegated to a standalone level, as is the case in the Hitman or Tomb Raider franchises. Even the Assassin’s Creed series, with its core premise of exploring different eras and locations from throughout real-world history, only dedicates Assasin’s Creed: Chronicles spin-off to 19th-century India.
Developer and publisher Tara Gaming Limited has gone all out with its initial push for The Age of Bhaarat, dropping a trailer, a website, and a Steam page to promote the game. One aspect of the title that has been getting special attention in the promotional material is the creative team behind it. Tara Gaming was founded by a combination of celebrated Indian artists and games industry veterans. Representing the latter half is Nouredine Abboud, who has previously executive produced several blockbuster titles in Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon series.
The Age of Bhaarat Shows Off Action RPG Combat
The Age of Bhaarat is an action RPG with a focus on verticality and cooperative online multiplayer. The trailer begins with a pre-rendered cutscene that introduces the protagonist, a customizable Forest Warden. Gameplay footage was also shown off, with the disclaimer that the title is in a pre-alpha state. Some of the player’s abilities are revealed on the Steam page, including a grappling hook movement tool that’s reminiscent of Spider-Man’s famous web-slinging.
In addition to Abboud, the prolific Indian author Amish Tripathi, best known for his Shiva Trilogy of novels, is also lending his talents to The Age of Bhaarat. Rounding out the trio of founders is actor Amitabh Bachchan, a familiar face to fans of Hindi cinema. The studio also has ambitions to turn Bhaarat into a larger multimedia franchise akin to The Witcher, with Tripathi as the head story writer and lead of narrative development.
As the most populous nation on Earth, it's likely that India will continue to be a growing market for AAA gaming experiences and AAA game developers. The Age of Bhaarat isn’t the only example of the country branching out into relatively untapped mediums. Studio Durga, India’s first anime studio, was founded in New Delhi in 2017, but it has seemingly gone dormant since then. Hopefully, Tara Gaming will avoid that fate and succeed in its mission to “empower Indian storytellers” in the future.
- Developer(s)
- Tara Gaming Limited
- Publisher(s)
- Tara Gaming Limited
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
