Shortgun, emerging as India’s next big third-person shooter (TPS) powerhouse and founded by the creators of Rogue Heist, onboards acclaimed Bollywood action director Vicky Arora to lead action design and choreography for its upcoming third-person shooter game. The collaboration signals a bold move to bring cinematic action and storytelling into India’s growing gaming landscape.
With over a decade of experience choreographing action in high-profile projects including URI: The Surgical Strike, RRR, TANAAV, and the upcoming Ramayan Part 1, Vicky Arora brings a deep understanding of cinematic combat and physical storytelling. His transition into gaming marks a rare crossover between Indian film and interactive media.
With the cinematic spotlight now on India’s most anticipated movie, Ramayan, Shortgun sees a parallel opportunity in the gaming world. The studio’s upcoming title is set to build with the same discipline and vision, setting a new benchmark for narrative-driven action games developed in India.
At Shortgun Games, Vicky Arora has been closely involved in supervising the action pipeline from pre-visualizations and motion capture to final execution. His focus has been on ensuring that combat sequences are not only technically accurate but also narratively cohesive. His experience with advanced motion capture has also helped bring a film-level discipline to the gaming environment, with a strong emphasis on stunt safety and performer wellbeing.
“What stood out was Shortgun’s commitment to narrative. Games have always fascinated me as a medium that blends immersion with interactivity.” said Vicky Arora, Action Director at Shortgun. “The idea of using action to advance character arcs rather than relying on spectacle alone aligns closely with how I approach cinema. Applying that same lens to a third-person shooter, where every gameplay decision carries emotional weight, felt like a natural fit.This is a progression for action design where players don’t just witness the fight, they step into it.”
Vicky Arora credits his appreciation for games like The Last of Us, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Ghost of Tsushima titles known for fusing combat with deep storytelling as key influences in shaping his vision for Shortgun’s upcoming project.
The game, currently in development, introduces themes around identity, instinct, and control, with players navigating both physical challenges and philosophical dilemmas. Vicky Arora’s role has been to align these themes with combat mechanics, using motion capture and character psychology to deliver realism and emotional impact.
“Vicky Arora’s background in grounded, close-quarters choreography and his ability to think from a narrative perspective made him the right choice for this role,” said Vidhit Mehta, Founder at Shortgun. “His collaboration with our creative team helped bring weight and logic to the way our characters move and fight.”
Vidhit Mehta and Jeet Chandan“This collaboration reflects a larger shift happening across India’s digital entertainment landscape,” said Jeet Chandan, Managing Director at Shortgun. “We’re seeing the lines between film and games blur, and that opens up a whole new design language for developers. Bringing someone like Vicky Arora on board, someone with deep roots in cinematic storytelling and physical action, allows us to tap into that momentum. Indian gamers today expect quality, immersion, and originality, not just localisation of global trends. For us, elevating production value from the development stage is a strategic choice. It’s about showing that Indian studios can create globally competitive, story-driven titles from the ground up. And in doing so, we’re also building a model for cross-industry collaboration that can redefine how games are made in India.”
Vicky Arora also serves as General Secretary of the Screen Action Association of India (SAAI), where he actively advocates for stunt performer safety and professional training. His expertise in handling complex motion capture choreography, especially during Ramayan Part 1, directly informs his approach at Shortgun, ensuring a balance between realism, safety, and emotionally resonant gameplay. With a lot brewing inside Shortgun’s studio walls, this collaboration marks just the beginning. Expectations are high for what could become India’s biggest story-driven shooter yet, one that aims to set new standards in both action design and narrative immersion.
