Actor Mahesh Babu invests in PC and console studio Shortgun Games
The Telugu film actor joins the Mumbai studio as a strategic investor as it develops Project Takedown, a story-driven action-adventure game.
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The Telugu film actor joins the Mumbai studio as a strategic investor as it develops Project Takedown, a story-driven action-adventure game.
Telugu film actor Mahesh Babu has joined Mumbai-based Shortgun Games as a strategic investor, backing its development of original PC and console games. The studio’s first planned title is Project Takedown, a story-driven action-adventure game still in development.
Co-founders and directors Jeet Chandan and Vidhit Mehta chose early on to skip mobile games, a longstanding focus of India’s digital entertainment sector. The investment amount and Babu’s ownership stake have not been disclosed.
Babu told Variety that the founders’ ambition to make PC and console games matching international studio standards drew him to the company. Mehta said the founders wanted to demonstrate India’s ability to make high-end games for those platforms; Chandan said their goal was to create lasting franchises that could cross media and regional borders.
Chandan said Babu’s involvement would help the studio expand its technical capabilities and creative talent. Shortgun is targeting PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with Project Takedown intended for markets including North America, Europe and the UK.
Shortgun brought in action director Vicky Arora, whose credits include “Uri: The Surgical Strike,” “RRR” and “Tanaav,” for Project Takedown’s fight sequences. His team has worked on stunts, motion-capture choreography and early visual planning for combat; the developers use the live stunt performances to build digital characters.
Shortgun’s slate also includes Roll ’em Out, a cooperative independent game. Project Takedown has no disclosed release date.
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