Exclusive Interview: Former Krafton India Exec Anuj Tandon Talks About His Move to JetSynthesys and the Future of Indian Gaming Along With CEO Rajan Navani

Last month, we reported about the departure of Anuj Tandon from his role at Krafton as Head of Corporate Development and Investments for India. Now, about a month later, he is back in the limelight with a major announcement. Tandon revealed that he has joined JetSynthesys as the CEO of the gaming division.

JetSynthesys shared this development a couple of days back. Around the same time, IGN India got the opportunity to talk to Anuj about this move. We discussed about a wide range of things from his career progression to recent changes in the Indian gaming space alongside JetSynthesys Founder and CEO, Rajan Navani.

I wanted to know a bit more about your decision to move from Krafton to JetSynthesys. Do you think the ban on BGMI played a large role for you to look for greener pastures?

Anuj Tandon: I honestly believe we are at pivotal moment in the gaming industry in India. With monetisation in India picking up over the last year, JetSynthesys has been building multiple gaming assets and I am delighted to be presented an opportunity to take the momentum forward as CEO – Gaming for an Indian company.

Mobile gaming has always been a big part of JetSynthesys with the Esports side contributing as well. With the ban on BGMI, that aspect must have taken a big hit. Are you expecting to see other titles from the mobile world that can carry that load that PUBG/BGMI once did?

Anuj Tandon: India’s Esports market is only going to grow collectively. There might be small speed bumps along the way, but the overall market is not going to slow significantly. The community has enough games, but it still needs overall ecosystem level thinking from game publishers to push these games for Indian esports audience.

JetSynthesys has been expanding on various fronts over the past couple of years. But is there a particular avenue that your company has been pursuing that has you buzzing compared to any other projects?

Rajan Navani: While we continue to expand the Jetverse on multiple fronts, we are particularly keen on leveraging the opportunities that Web 3.0 and metaverse is slated to provide to digital businesses not just in India but also globally.

JetSynthesys has always harbored strong aspirations of becoming a part of the digital daily lives of Indians. With the world moving towards an even more technologically advanced digital future, our resolve to innovate, disrupt, and revolutionize thespace has grown even stronger. In fact, JetSynthesys recently acquired Metaphy Labs to bolster our Metaverse-As-A-Service (MAAS) capabilities, whereby we will provide end-to-end solutions for brands to create their own metaverse infrastructure in the Web 3.0 space. Our overall outlook is bullish, and we will continue to invest in Web 3.0 going forward too.

Mr. Tandon, you’ve had years of experience working in the video game space. Is there a particular avenue in the tech or gaming world that has piqued your interest, and you would love to pursue further down the line if it indeed meets its potential/projection?

Anuj Tandon: If I am thinking of starting a gaming venture today anywhere in the world and I have global ambition – the biggest opportunities for growth globally are mostly in India and to some extent MENA. These two markets are supply constrained where demand/consumption is bigger than supply. Monetisation continues to improve, but the time to start building is now.

It’s been around a decade since you began JetSynthesys, Mr. Navani. How has the experience been for you as you charted your journey in industries like the mobile gaming and esports world, which were still in their infancy back then.

Rajan Navani: It’s been a gratifying experience for all of us at JetSynthesys to be a part of the industry’s growth from the ground up. We have seen new ventures come up looking at the growth potential of India’s mobile gaming and esports industry, and also witnessed international names and investments coming in to grow businesses. We are happy to have become one of the most loved skill-based simulated gaming brands in the country and we’re glad to have played a role in the industry becoming more mainstream today. It has been an eventful journey so far and we are geared up to experience what the future holds.

While the focus is on India and the subcontinent, what might be JetSynthesys’ ambitions when it comes to expanding in new regions outside the subcontinent?

Rajan Navani: At JetSynthesys, our focus has always been to be a part of the digital lives of Indians. The same ethos guides our expansion in other regions in the world as well. With multiple initiatives under gaming and Esports, digital entertainment, wellness and livelihoods, we plan to become an integral part of the lives of our users and stakeholders across the globe. All three verticals are growing at a fast pace and through our products like YesFlix and Sonic Jobs, ventures like Jet Media Network, and partners like Hero Digital Entertainment, we already cater to global markets.

In fact, through our recently launched brand Jetapult, we aim to acquire and scale revenue-generating Indie game development studios across emerging markets not just in India, but also in regions like South-East Asia, the Middle East, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. With similar initiatives across various avenues, we at JetSynthesys aim to put Indian brands on the global map and also bolster our international presence further.