Society is not just built on economy, innovation, and robust infrastructure. But it is also the culmination of millennia of moral values, principles, culture, heritage, and humanistic ideologies. If we set aside business-driven metrics that govern a nation and its people, we will find a monumental foundation of traditional sentiments that have shaped us into the humans we are today. And this knowledge has been passed on from one generation to the next in the form of oral history, manuscripts, or some form of evidence left by the ancestors of civilization. We learned from our failures and kept on building a better society for the future generation.
The cover of Global Market Leaders 2026 features an empowering leader who is nothing short of exceptional and strategic when he built EpicVerse, an innovative “knowledge-transfer system” that combines strategy, intelligence, participation, premium design, and cultural depth in one experience.”
Sudeesh Shanmughan is not just an entrepreneur but also comes as the true protagonist of modern-day society. His thought process, strategic thinking, and unique intellect bring forward EpicVerse as a long-term scalable IP platform with AI voice app integration. The first edition of EpicVerse is bringing Ramayan in a consumable, knowledge transfer-style format that is not “preachy,” “religious,” and “instructional.” But this product aims to engage its users with interactive content that wraps an underlying morality quotient, ultimately guiding them with a blueprint to excel in modern-day life. Most importantly, the entrepreneur shares that one doesn’t need to be a sixty-year-old person to use this product. But EpicVerse is a flexible family product that is suitable for the age limit of 8 to 80 years old.
Sudeesh: “EpicVerse is a new-age epic experience where people do not simply hear stories—they actively engage with characters, choices, values, consequences, and strategy through participation.”
Sudeesh has been formulating a sustainable strategy to genuinely transfer the core knowledge of Indian epics such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and more in a way that today’s generation can connect with naturally. His vision of EpicVerse comes as a “modern epic-learning universe that transforms timeless Indian knowledge into living, participative experience.”
When we asked Sudeesh about what led to this intriguing product, he took the editorial down memory lane to the time of COVID-19, when the world was shut down and people were suddenly exposed to a lot of free time. Instead of passing time doing meaningless, valueless shenanigans, he started sketching, which eventually evolved into reading books like the Bhagavad Gita. Sudeesh valued nurturing the creative strength of the mind during the pandemic. Upon intensive reading, he came to realize that the Indian epics could be offered with a dialogue, and their lessons, knowledge, and principles are only meant for people of age or senior citizens. He identified a huge gap where content is rarely deciphered as a medium to enrich the mind and the senses. The era of instant gratification and short attention spans questioned Sudeesh’s curiosity about understanding the kind of direction society is heading, where critical thinking is taking a backseat. With EpicVerse, Sudeesh created something that does not preach, does not feel heavy, and does not make learning feel like a moral science period. It is meant to be immersive, strategic, and enjoyable—a format where epic knowledge is absorbed through involvement, not instruction.
EpicVerse is not just a business or a gaming product; it is a testament to providing ancient wisdom that has been strategically adapted to fit into the modern lifestyle. Sitting at the intersection of storytelling, strategy, learning, and emotional connection, EpicVerse is being envisioned to evolve into other epics and projects in the future. The visionary says that the goal is to “build a platform that can bring Indian epics alive in ways that feel immersive, intelligent, and relevant for modern generations.”
Sudeesh has cultivated a diverse educational background, coupled with about 22 years of diverse industry experience. He received his formal education along with exploring design learning. He completed his BBA from the University of Madras and also holds a Diploma in Design from IMAGE. Over the years, Sudeesh worked to perfect his creative and strategic understanding through multiple workshops with institutions like NIFT and NID. One of his recent certifications has been in strategic brand management from SP Jain. Additionally, he draws from his distinguished career across different retail formats, especially in the areas of visual merchandising and customer experience. He worked closely with brands, retail environments, and consumer behavior, and physical experience design has taught him life lessons, which he places more value on over textbooks and classrooms.
The team at EpicVerse rightly describes the product as “a game you don’t just watch on screen—you experience in your hands, with others.”
Upon insightful discussions with the editorial, Sudeesh points out that EpicVerse is creating a new niche in itself. The “usual” business model has been to make a similar product that is either entertainment-focused with limited depth or knowledge-based and too preachy for the market. Epicverse is changing the narrative with its innovative system where “character, choices, leadership, values, and consequences are emphasized, but the format in which this wisdom is commonly presented does not always connect naturally with younger generations.” A pivotal step by him and the team is the AI voice app integration, where the product is designed to extend into an AI-enabled companion experience where users can interact more deeply with the epic universe through voice-led engagement.
The premium consumer intergenerational product comes with an IP-led platform with multiple layers of monetization and long-term brand value. The first edition of EpicVerse is approaching the market more as a collector’s item than a regular commercial product. The approximate retail pricing is expected to be in the range of ₹19,999 to ₹21,999. This will include the complete EpicVerse interactive epic ritual kit—cards, dice, coins, scrolls, score mats, and other experience elements—all presented in beautifully carved premium wooden box packaging, along with 3 years of AI app usage. For the launch phase, we are also working on a special introductory price in the range of ₹14,999 to ₹15,999. As part of the launch offer, customers are planned to receive 5 years of AI app usage instead of 3 years, along with a complimentary automatic card shuffler worth ₹5,999. Sudeesh defines EpicVerse as “physically immersive and digitally extensible.” But of course, all innovations go through their initial skepticism, doubt, and trial and error. And so did EpicVerse.
The forward-thinker has been relentless in shaping the product as culturally authentic for a broad spectrum of users but also making it immersive and value-added in the modern market context. There is also the challenge of building a premium Indian-origin product in a market where many people are still used to comparing value only through conventional product categories. A product that embodies the knowledge from the Ramayana might not necessarily be only “dharmik” but come as a modern guide to leading a purposeful, ethical, and honest life. Sudeesh says, “If your vision has depth, do not shrink it to fit existing categories—build a new one.”
