New Delhi : the Indian Gambling According to a new report released on Tuesday, the market is expected to triple over the next four years and touch a value of $3.9 billion by 2025.
India is currently home to over 430 million mobile gamers and the number of gamers is projected to grow to 650 million by 2025. Currently, mobile gaming dominates the Indian gaming sector, accounting for over 90% of the $1.6 billion gaming market and is expected to be developed by the Internet and Mobile Association in partnership with smartphone maker OnePlus and Internet advisory RedSeer. Go ahead to generate a value of $3.9 billion by 2025, said the report of India (IAMAI).
Indian gaming has jumped into the mobile gaming era due to the rapid growth in smartphone penetration in the country, with large console and PC games now being curated for mobile platforms, the report said.
It also said that smartphones have become more affordable and pack robust hardware that is equipped to run games that may require medium to high specifications. This has opened up access to more immersive gaming for the general public, with smartphone makers also focusing on incorporating dedicated gaming features on their latest devices and launching gaming-specific phones.
As smartphone penetration has increased in India in recent years, it has become the largest market for mobile game downloads. According to the study, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the organic growth of digital games as mobile app downloads increased by 50% and user engagement increased by 20%.
The growing gaming times have driven the growth of hardcore gamers in India, even as casual games remain the most popular genre in India. But hardcore games bring money. The report highlights that around 40% of hardcore gamers spend an average of Rs 230 per month for their games.
Device makers have led the growth of hardcore gaming in India. Smartphone makers are constantly focusing on improving phone performance and any performance improvement provides a huge positive impact in user experience and gaming quality through better resolution and frame rates, notes the report.
“Over the past 12 years, we’ve had to update our GPUs (graphics processing units) more than 700 times, which is what consumers demand,” said Rajen Wagadia, Vice President and President, Qualcomm. He also said that some efforts are being made to promote exports and ensure that it is seen as an area which can be taken up professionally.
The report states that with the ability to work on 5G networks (in development) and high-speed Wi-Fi 6, the potential for a streaming gaming experience is compelling for these phone makers.
The gaming sector is also attracting huge investments. According to the report, about $1 billion has been invested in the gaming sector alone in the last six months. For example, on Monday, the country’s largest multiplex operator PVR Ltd announced a partnership with gaming firm Nodwin Gaming to stream e-sports events across its theatres. “Think of it as the IPL of e-sports in the country. And think of theaters as venues equal to stadiums,” Kamal Gyanchandani, Chief of Strategy, PVR said in a press statement.
Going forward, India needs to focus on creating a conducive investment environment to nurture the gaming ecosystem.
Several indirect initiatives (policies such as Digital India and digital literacy forming the backbone for a rapidly growing Internet economy) and direct initiatives (such as STPI and the National Center of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) first are since. According to the report, laid the foundation for a fertile mobile gaming ecosystem.
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