Mumbai: India’s gaming market, which stood at $2.6 billion in 2022, is expected to grow at a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 27 per cent to reach $8.6 billion by 2027.But mobile gaming especially takes the biggest piece of the gaming pie.

According to the ‘India Gaming Report FY 2022” released by Lumikai, India became the largest consumer of mobile games in FY 2022 in total downloads. India’s mobile game downloads hit 15 billion in FY22 and the market size is three times the size of the US and nearly two and a half times the size of China.    

India also has three Indian gaming unicorns MPL, Games 24x7 and Dream11, all of which operate in the mobile gaming segment. In 2021, Nazara Technologies became India’s first gaming company to go public. And the list goes on. The Indian government has also taken notice of the rapidly growing sector and has been actively involved in boosting the sector.

An announcement was made in the Union Budget 2022-23 to the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) sector, for setting up an AVGC Promotion Task Force to recommend ways to realize domestic capacity for serving markets and the global demand. The significant growth that India has achieved in mobile gaming in recent years is due to a combination of different factors:

Mobile user base

India has over 1.2 billion mobile phone users, of which 600 million are smartphone users. Alongwith low rates of high-speed Internet data and the widespread availability of low-cost smartphones, smartphone penetration has resulted in users consuming copious amounts of entertaining content via mobile devices.

Accessibility

Mobile gaming took off more than PC and consoles due to its portability and easy accessibility. While users needed a high-spec PC and a console to play online, mobile games could be simply downloaded on smartphones and played whenever needed. Even the Pandemic which took its toll on businesses around the world accelerated the mobile gaming industry due to portability. Additionally, mobile gaming is relatively inexpensive compared to console or PC gaming.

Young tech-savvy Consumers

Around 50 per cent  of the gamers in India are between the ages of 18 to 30. Mobile games can be playedanytime and anywhere, which makes them very convenient for young people who are always on the go. They have a social aspect, allowing players to compete or collaborate with friends, which can be appealing to young people who enjoy socializing. Furthermore, many young people in India have a strong interest in technology and are early adopters of new gadgets and apps, which has helped to drive the popularity of the mobile gaming experience among India’s young population.

Mobile Game Development

The growth in mobile game development in India has led to an increase in the number of mobile games produced. India has a large pool of talented and skilled game developers and the availability of talent is pouring into mobile gaming. In addition to titans like TCS, Larsen & Toubro and Tech Mahindra, companies like The Nine Hertz are also riding the mobile gaming wave. But game studios in India are not just developing mobile games for native audiences anymore. They are looking to expand their player base in American and European countries. Battle royale games such as PUBG, Free Fire and BGMI redefined the Indian market. Ludo King dubbed ‘the Lockdown Sensation’ went from 300 million installs in December 2020 to 800 million global installs in June 2022, becoming India’s most downloaded game of all time. Many gamers-cum-influencers such as CarryMinati and Triggered Insaan have turned into streamers who engage audiences for long hours of gaming. Along with Mortal and Scout, they hosted the World’s First Gaming Entertainment Show, ‘PLAYGROUND’ by Rusk Media. With the emergence of 5G, NFT, crypto and Web3, developers, operators and investors are jumping into what looks like a hotbed of India’s mobile-first gaming industry. Local game development studios are also creating games catering to the Indian audience and the government is also showing immense support for the industry’s growth.

The author of this article is Globale Media director of growth international business Salil Mahajan.