Son of Thanjai: Where gameplay leads and Tamil culture serves as the backdrop

Across the world, video games have become digital storytellers of culture. In God of War, the clash of gods and giants turns Norse mythology into a living, breathing battlefield. The ancient Mediterranean finds fresh life in Assassins Creed: Odyssey, where myths of Olympian gods and heroes blur with history, while The Witcher spins Slavic folklore into tales of monsters. These worlds prove how games can preserve and reimagine cultural memory, allowing players to witness and inhabit tradition. And yet, one vast cultural landscape remains eerily quiet in the global gaming landscape: India. Its sprawling epics and pantheon of gods remain largely untapped, but so too do its region-specific histories the kings and warrior-queens whose legacies shaped the subcontinent. Despite their richness, these rulers, heroes, and their stories have yet to find a place in the global language of gaming, as though a vital chapter in the worlds interactive storytelling remains unread. As if to begin filling this long-standing void, came the teaser of a new game opening not only with English text but also Tamil, its soundtrack pulsing with the resonant beats of the thavil and nadaswaram, while the visuals unfolded against the rustic landscapes of medieval rural Tamil Nadu. A brown-skinned king Rajendra Chola, rendered in pixels and power enters in regal stride, atop a majestic elephant. As he is welcomed into his kingdom, the camera pulls into a quick vertigo effect, space bending around him, before erupting into a sequence of intense combat, followed by the title blazing across the screen: Son of Thanjai, from Ayelet Studio. This isnt the studios Tamil game debut; the team has an earlier title, Unsung Empires: The Cholas I, to their credit. Venkata Subramanian, the VP of marketing at Ayelet Studios, says, When the studio started with Unsung Empires: The Cholas I, it was just with a team of four people. We were all gamers, and we shared the core idea of creating a game in a familiar setting with local stories. This creation helped them gauge the demand for games set in the Tamil ethos. The game hit 85 thousand downloads in just six months. We were happy to see the reception, and hence, began working on Son of Thanjai, but this time around, with an entire team of 30 people, and an expert in each department, he says. The research For the team, the game began with a trip to Thanjavur, through the ruins of Maaligaimedu, the Brihadeeswara temple, and Gangaikonda Cholapuram. They were in conversations with historians, art custodians, and government officials in Tamil Nadus museums to better understand the lives of the people who lived during Rajendra Chola Is time. Records of city planning around the temple were unearthed, revealing that close to 108 families once lived in its vicinity. Venkat reveals, We found their exact location and who lived there, down to their names. Thats the kind of research we did. Efforts were also made to faithfully recreate clothing and style as well, which, in keeping with the times, were far from flamboyant, he adds. Im not claiming the game is a one-to-one recreation of history. Weve taken creative liberties where needed, blending fact and fiction to keep it engaging for both those familiar with the culture and those discovering it for the first time, he clarifies. As the project took shape as an action game, the team intended to stand apart from familiar formulas, Venkat says. So, they looked deeper into Tamil history and culture for inspiration. Weve chosen weapons and techniques that feel unique to this setting. The combat is based on Kalaripayattu but we arent revealing everything just yet well leave you guessing, Venkat teases. To ensure accuracy, research was also carried out and the team learnt that the Cholas maintained a specialised army unit dedicated solely to pillaging and plundering. After extensive research, which is still ongoing, a creative decision was made to depict the game with violence, earning it a PEGI 18 rating the gaming equivalent of an A certificate in films. History was found to be as bloody as it was flourishing, and that balance was sought. We designed the combat to feel visceral and intense, with every blow meant to be felt by the player, Venkat says. The gameplay Intense combat, cultural immersion, and exploration of the Chola world. This ishow the team explains Son of Thanjai. With this Tamil-centric cultural game, the team has also sought to move away from traditional gameplay where players are fed with intel and are given a quest marker, mission objectives, among others. For example, in other games, the player might be told by someone that their cattle have been stolen, and the player will get a quest marker, the location of the cattle and the thief, and a list of mission objectives. In Son of Thanjai, players will have to work much harder piecing together clues, talking to different NPCs, and drawing their own conclusions before acting. The idea is that every mission feels like an investigation rather than a set of instructions, he breaks it down. However, culture is woven into the very fabric, but never treated as a mere prop. The gameplay remains at the forefront, Venkat points out, with culture serving as its rich and immersive backdrop. For instance, there is a Jallikattu sequence. It is not there as a cultural prop. That sequence is present because it is integral to the story. It is an active decision to use cultural elements only as those contributing to the games narrative and play, he concludes. As the game undergoes its final refinements, it is slated for release in 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.