Milestone Interactive Group launched their first gaming store Game4u in Mega Mall, Oshiwara at Mumbai on February 24th, 2010. The store was inaugurated by Olympic medal winning boxer Vijender Singh and Bollywood singer Suraj Jaggan along with Jayont Sharma, CEO and Chairman, Milestone Interactive Group.
The store stocks a range of titles for all kinds of gaming platforms, be it the PC, gaming console, PSPs among others. Apart from game titles the store also stocks gaming accessories. There are dedicated gaming rigs and consoles set up for users who want to experience the game before buying it. The store is an offline extension of the already existing www.game4u.com.
Speaking to Digit, Sharma said, “Gaming industry is very nascent in India. It needs a broader base to take it beyond hardcore gamers and geeks. We want to get gaming beyond the techies and expose normal public to it. In two years we plan to have a minimum of 50 such stores across the country.”
The rising piracy in the Indian sub-continent did not deter Sharma. We asked him whether he had concerns about the situation. “The target audience that Game4u is looking at, is genuine buyers, who come shopping for genuine stuff in malls and retail stores. We are not bothered by those indulging in piracy as we don’t consider them our core customers.”
Given the distributorship association between Milestone and companies such as EA and Sony, we were wondering if the choice of titles in the store would be limited. Mr. Sharma clarified saying “we are completely publisher agnostic”.
The gaming enthusiasts were entertained by Suraj Jaggan who performed his staple 3 idiots song Gimme some sun shine, and a rather upbeat cover of Paranoid with his band members using music accessories by RockBand, an interactive music game with guitar and drum set accessories. Vijender Singh also had a virtual boxing bout with Muhammad Ali. Wonder if he won?