Mahesh Babu Invests in Shortgun Games: Minority Stake

Actor Mahesh Babu has acquired a minority stake in Mumbai-based gaming studio Shortgun Games. The amount was not disclosed, and neither the size of his stake nor a valuation for the company has been made public.

The deal follows a $1 million (approximately ₹8.7 crore at the time) seed round in August 2025 from angel investors and a family office. That money was meant to help the studio develop a minimum viable product and hire as needed. At the time, the company was also looking to raise another $5 million to move its game from a polished prototype to full-scale production.

Shortgun Games was founded in 2022 by Jeet Chandan and Vidhit Mehta. It started out working on Web3 and mobile games, then changed direction in 2024 to focus on PC and console development.

Its flagship project, Project Takedown, is a story-led action-adventure game set in a near-future Mumbai. According to The Economic Times, it is being developed for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, is expected to run between 10 and 15 hours, and is expected to be released by the end of 2028. The founders are targeting markets such as the US, Europe and Japan.

The studio is also working on an independent cooperative adventure game called Roll ‘em Out. Action director Vicky Arora, whose film credits include Uri: The Surgical Strike and RRR, is leading the game’s action design, including combat choreography and motion-capture work.

The investment adds another source of backing as the company looks to expand its technical team and bring in more creative talent. Under the partnership, Babu will also work with the studio on developing original gaming intellectual properties, starting with Project Takedown.

Co-founder Jeet Chandan said the actor’s involvement would help the studio improve its technical capabilities and maintain the quality it wants to achieve.