India’s sole publicly listed gaming and esports firm, Nazara Technologies, has partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to introduce gCommerce to the Indian market, VentureBeat reported.
The initiative seeks to tackle a longstanding issue for Indian game developers: low in-app purchase (IAP) conversions and limited advertising revenue. With gCommerce, Nazara and ONDC Network are rethinking game monetisation, tapping into India’s booming e-commerce market to offer developers innovative and scalable revenue opportunities.
The companies say that gCommerce is an innovative in-game monetization platform that seamlessly integrates e-commerce within games. This approach allows players to purchase real-world products without leaving the gaming environment.
This strategic partnership enables game developers to generate revenue through an affiliate model, where they earn a commission on each successful transaction made by players via the gCommerce platform.
With ONDC Network’s expertise in creating an open, interoperable digital commerce network, Nazara’s gCommerce platform will connect to a wide range of sellers across more than ten categories. This integration offers gamers access to a wide variety of products.
‘We are excited to announce the upcoming launch of gCommerce by Nazara via integration with the ONDC Network, as it represents a significant step forward in our mission to empower game developers with effective and innovative monetization solutions,’ commented Nitish Mittersain, CEO of Nazara Technologies.
T Koshy, CEO of ONDC, added: ‘Nazara coming on ONDC Network to launch gCommerce is a testament to the versatility of the Network in supporting various industries and use cases. By bringing e-commerce into the gaming ecosystem, we are paving the way for a seamless blend of entertainment and shopping that adds value for players, developers, and the broader digital commerce network.’
Currently in its soft launch phase, the gCommerce platform is set to become available to game developers in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2026.
This model has already gained traction in Western markets. For instance, in January 2024, Walmart partnered with Unity to launch a software development kit (SDK) that allows game developers to embed the commerce APIs of the hypermarket chain into their games, facilitating seamless in-game transactions for real-world items.
