NEW DELHI: Mobile gaming contributes more than 90% to the current $1.6 billion gaming market in the country, according to the latest report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
India is currently home to over 430 million mobile gamers and the number is estimated to grow to 650 million by 2025, according to the study accessed by IANS.
The pandemic has accelerated the organic growth of digital games as mobile app downloads grew by 50% and user engagement went up by 20%.
Gaming startups in India attracted $1.6 billion in the first nine months this year, as per a report by investment banking platform Maple Capital Advisors, accessed by IANS. Nearly 90% of the investments went to two large players in the fantasy sports and platform gaming sector – Dream Sports and the Mobile Premier League (MPL).
Top venture firms have also invested millions of dollars in other gaming startups like PlayShifu, Zupee and Winzo.
“Affordable smartphones with high-speed internet access have made it easier and convenient for a user to consume their favourite format of interactive games from anywhere,” Paavan Nanda, CEO and co-founder of social gaming app WinZO, told IANS.
Smartphones have become more affordable and pack strong hardware that are equipped to run games which may require medium to high specifications. This has opened accessibility to more immersive gaming for the masses.
Ludo King, which was launched in 2016, surpassed top games like Candy Crush Saga, PUBG, Clash of Clans, Subway Surfers, Temple Run, and others in monthly active users in India last year.
E-sports has also witnessed a huge surge within India, leading to the rise of employment opportunities. Recently, the Asian Games Committee and Olympic Games Federation recognised online gaming and included it as an official sport at the Asian Games 2022, which is a watershed moment for the online gaming industry.
Nanda further told IANS: “While game development earlier was primarily dependent on international publishers, there has been a seismic shift with an increased focus on local development which is of high quality in nature.
“This has catapulted India towards value-driven consumption.”
