Indian Gaming Industry Is Seeing Unprecedented Growth: Here’s Where It Will Be In 5 Years

India currently has more than 400 gaming companies and 420 million online gamers, second only to China.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant change in both the participation and revenue of the Indian gaming business.

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The Indian gaming ecosystem has seen a tremendous increase in both community involvement and revenue over the last few years. That’s why there has been a surge in esports, console gaming, and game development in recent times. And, amid the global pandemic, the industry further witnessed a surge as more Indians sought video games as immersive entertainment. This has consequently increased public awareness of the Indian gaming sector as a strong and promising domain, showcasing great potential. 

According to a KPMG report, India currently has more than 400 gaming companies and 420 million online gamers, second only to China.

Earlier the gaming industry was not seen as a career-centric industry but with the pace of transformations occurring in the gaming sector, there is an increase in new Indian talent entering the gaming business that views game development as a viable career path. 

Given the growth rate in the gaming sector, India is expected to become one of the world’s leading markets in the gaming industry. As per the KPMG report, after experiencing five years of steady growth, the global gaming landscape is anticipated to triple in value by 2025, reaching a staggering $3.9 billion.

Indian gaming industry: Present-day scenario

There is no denying that the Indian gaming sector has risen dramatically in recent years and is poised to expand even further. In fact, keeping in view the line of developments taking place in the Internet infrastructure, there is increased adoption of new gaming genres. A Statista study states that India reached 390 million (approx.) online gamers by 2021 — an eight percent increase over the previous year which is expected to exceed 450 million by 2023.

Video games, esports and console gaming are something that is being largely practised in the present-day Indian gaming industry. The social aspect of live streaming and gameplay is a major reason why esports have reached such heights. Viewers can communicate directly with players and teams through video game-specific streaming channels, and more popular social media have made it possible for those connections to thrive.

Furthermore, owing to the increased adoption of smartphones, mobile gaming has become a new trend. And this global penetration of smartphones is attributable primarily to the pandemic, which also increased the number of network operators offering reasonably priced data plans to make mobile gaming more accessible. Worldwide, the number of mobile gamers has risen dramatically due to this.

Indian gaming industry: The future

Increase in esports: The Indian esports market, which is still seen as being in its early stages, is anticipated to grow significantly over the course of this decade as Indian skill in video games and esports quickly catches up with that of the rest of the globe. 
In reality, social media technologies give them a platform to communicate with individuals who appreciate competitively watching these games, as well as their target demographic. A growing young population, widespread smartphone use, expanding economic spending, and an effective distribution system are some of the factors that have contributed thus far and will continue to contribute in the future.

Growth in console gaming: In India, console gaming is becoming increasingly popular, and in the years to come, it is likely to grow more widespread. In fact, the development of console gaming is also anticipated to increase because of a series of advancements taking place in the internet infrastructure. 

Aside from this, the introduction of cloud gaming platforms has changed how gaming is seen and is expected to have a significant impact on the industry as a whole.

A potential career path: The Indian video game industry is thriving and brimming with talent as more and more individuals are choosing it as a career option. 

Given the rate at which the gaming business is changing, the upcoming generation can be primarily seen making a successful career out of gaming. As per industry experts, by 2023, the domestic gaming industry will add 10,000–12,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant change in both the participation and revenue of the Indian gaming business. It is important to hold COVID-19 in particular in high regard for the rise in gaming. 

Additionally, new gaming genres like esports, cloud gaming, and mobile gaming have completely changed the way that people view gaming. Going forward, the Indian gaming sector is poised to experience substantial expansion due to fast digitalisation and transformation, expanding internet usage, and rising smartphone penetration.

(The author is the Head of Production at Sumo India Studios. He has worked on game franchises owned by some of the biggest brands in the business like Microsoft, Sony, Apple, 2K, and more.)

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