When Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 came out in 2011, the Bangladeshi gaming community went crazy over a specific segment of the game. Not because of a wild plot twist or the adrenaline rush, but because of a Bangladesh flag waving on a pole. Fast forward to 2020, after the release of the long-awaited RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, a random message in a seemingly insignificant side quest sparked conversations in the community as it referenced high-end Bangladeshi leather.
As a gamer myself, I understand this obsession over such tiny references to Bangladesh. It represents something greater than mere micro-details: a yearning for recognition. The prospect of fighting the Battle of Plassey as a soldier in the Nawab’s army or racing through the chaotic streets of Dhaka would appeal to any Bangladeshi gamer. But sadly, these experiences are a far cry from the Bangladeshi gamers, mainly because of the lackluster game development industry of Bangladesh.
Despite having a rich history and a culture worth exploring, the Bangladeshi gaming revolution is yet to happen. However, as time passes and more and more people become interested in gaming and game development, we get to witness newer initiatives and emerging talents. In fact, the involvement of Bangladeshis in game development is nothing new.
The very first 3D game to be published in Bangladesh is Dhaka Racing. It included iconic locations such as Manik Mia Avenue and Chandrima Uddan, as well as the Zia International Airport (presently Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport), as well as local vehicles such as rickshaws. The developers were two final-year students of North South University. They also received an award from the then president of Bangladesh, the late president Zillur Rahman.
2004 was to be an exciting year for game development in Bangladesh. This year saw the release of the first Bangladeshi first-person shooter, Arunodoyer Agnishikha. It was the first depiction of the 1971 war of liberation in a video game. The game was developed by Trimatrik Interactive and published by SHOM Computers Limited. The project received tremendous acclaim, similar to Dhaka Racing.
When Grand Theft Auto was all the craze, a group of high schoolers decided to mod Grand Theft Auto: Vice City into something totally their own. Over the course of six months, they had dubbed the entire game into Bangla. They had also replaced the default songs on the radio with Bengali tracks. Later, a CD company acquired the project, and it sold like hotcakes and even outsold the original game.
This project, more popularly known as “Bangla Vice City”, still holds nostalgic resonance in the hearts of many Bangladeshi gamers. This project was not a full game but a blatant act of piracy. Regardless, the popularity of this project vividly illustrates the craving for quality video game content depicting Bangladesh and its people.
The subsequent years saw little progress in game development. However, a project called Hatirjheel: Dream Begins sparked conversations in 2014. But the barren game development scene was revived in 2015, when Mindfisher Games released Heroes of 71. This free game was a massive success with 5 million downloads as of 2017. They also released other titles such as Heroes of 71: Retaliation in 2016 and Mukti Camp in 2017. Both of these games were successful, with Mukti Camp accumulating over six million players by December 2017.
In late 2019, the Bangladeshi gaming community, once again, went crazy over a project called Agontuk. The seven-minute gameplay reveal depicted an open-world game with mechanics similar to Grand Theft Auto. Five years later, this game never came out. But the same team, M7 Productions and Attrito, released Zero Hour, a first-person tactical shooter, a year later. Despite the initial backlash, the team carried on with their work. With the release of version 1.0, Zero Hour remains the first and only Bangladeshi game to be featured on IGN. This project has made a comeback from its clunky and unpolished early access to a unique tactical shooter—very much like No Man’s Sky. It has succeeded in representing Bangladesh in the global gaming scene, with an all-time player peak of over 4000 and nearly 80% positive reviews on Steam.
As of 2022, the values of the music and film industries were $26.2 billion and $26 billion, respectively. On the contrary, the value of the gaming industry stood at a whopping $184.4 billion. But it is a matter of sorrow that the potential of this industry in Bangladesh remains widely unexplored. Despite growing interest and emerging talent, Bangladesh does not have the infrastructure and financial support required for proper capitalization of its gaming industry. However, there are certainly opportunities for growth with better initiatives and passionate developers. We hope that the future will see the emergence of a thriving gaming scene in the country.
