Indus Battle Royale set to introduce Indian Olympic shooter Heena Sidhu as playable character

On Republic Day, January 26, 2023, Pune-based studio SuperGaming released the official gameplay trailer for its upcoming shooter game Indus Battle Royale. The developers have now revealed a new in-game character for their "Indo-Futuristic" battle royale title based on Indian Olympic shooter Heena Sidhu, who is expected to be crucial to the lore.

As mentioned in the official announcement, the developers will curate the story of Heena Sidhu's in-game avatar to make her an in-game "living legend." SuperGaming has also maintained that the character's tale will not be much different from the Indian sports icon's real life, as both are about "breaking stereotypes" and "becoming the best in the world."

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"'Indus' Heena has the right aspects of my attitude and personality" - Indian sports superstar on collaboration with Indus Battle Royale

Heena Sidhu began shooting in 2006 with national junior and senior tournaments. She progressed over the years to become the first Indian pistol shooter to claim number one in the world rankings by the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) in 2014.

Sidhu is also the first Indian to win a gold medal at an ISSF World Cup finals event. Thus, she seemed the most fitting individual to have a character based on her in a shooter game.

Here's what the Indian sports icon had to say about her involvement with SuperGaming and in bringing Indus Battle Royale's virtual "Heena" to life:

"I was surprised to see an Indian game studio take so much care and attention to detail, especially in terms of shooting and gun play and how all of it translates into Indus. It's something I noticed as an athlete and an avid gamer, which made collaborating with SuperGaming all the more easier."

Speaking about her in-game avatar, Heena further added:

"'Indus' Heena has the right aspects of my attitude and personality. I hope you'll enjoy playing as her as much as I had fun working with SuperGaming to bring her into the game."

Apart from an avatar based on Heena Sidhu, SuperGaming has also announced the inclusion of another female character named Mor-Ni, a Yaksha folk hero. Per the developers, Mor-Ni will be:

"A strong female character that exudes elegance, glamour, pride, and confidence" while serving as an "expression of India's rich history with a look into the future."

Both Indus Battle Royale characters will be released with the game's launch. As of this writing, only Android users can pre-register for Indus Battle Royale via the Google Play Store. Pre-registrations for the App Store (iOS and iPadOS) are expected to commence soon.

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Note: The quotes mentioned above are taken from SuperGaming's press release regarding releasing new characters.