India is home to more than 70 million gamers, and the industry just keeps on growing in the country. ZVKY recently mentioned that the online gaming segment is on the rise, and the market is expected to grow from the present $360 million to $1 billion by 2021.
Online gaming has been around since the 90s, but because of better and faster internet options, the niche has become more accessible to people. In fact, games without an online component of any kind are the ones considered rare nowadays. The main driver of growth in the industry today is the boom in India’s mobile sector.
Five months ago, Tech Crunch reported that India surpassed America to become the second largest smartphone market in the world after China. This is due to the 40-million smartphone shipments made in Q3 of last year. It’s not a surprising feat, given that India’s population of 1.3 billion far exceeds the USA’s 320 million. To complement those figures, India also stands as one of the top five countries for mobile gaming. With big companies like Alibaba, Tencent, Youzu, and Nazara investing in India’s mobile gaming, the demand for mobile games is greater than ever. As it stands, the mobile gaming industry is valued at over $890 million. Forbes noted that India also has more than 250 game development companies, with two startups emerging every month on average. That’s why people are finding more professional opportunities related to gaming.
If you want to have a piece of the action, read up on ZVKY’s guide on how to kick-start a career in gaming. The local gaming development scene may still be growing, but India itself has long been established as one of the best themes for the industry. The country and its rich culture are frequently featured in different games from both local and international companies. The Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series, for instance, features a game set entirely in India. The PlayStation 4 exclusive Uncharted also stepped foot in the South Asian nation with The Lost Legacy. In fact, one of the game’s protagonists is an Indian-Australian, and many of the levels are beautifully rendered landscapes inspired by iconic places in the country. Of course, India has enough exposure in international mobile games as well. Pearls of India hosted on PartyPoker is a good example because it uses Indian temples and Hindu Gods as core elements. The game even lets you collect pearls, which is a nod to India’s pearl culture. Incorporated Hindu texts relay how the God Krishna discovered the first pearl in India. And while the world is yet to enjoy a triple A mobile game made in India, players can try lots of good locally-developed titles. Companies like Moonfrog Labs are producing games based on Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt and movies like Baahubali. Meanwhile, studios like Bangalore-based Nukebox launched titles that have global appeal, such as the breakout hit Food Truck Chef, as well as other projects like One Man Army and Shooty Birds.
All things considered, gaming in India will definitely ride the upward trend for a long while, as more companies invest in the industry, especially in the mobile sector. By the looks of things, it won’t be long before we witness globally acclaimed titles made by Indian game development studios.
October 30, 2023
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