How India’s Online Gaming Industry is Emerging as a Winner?

In terms of online gaming, India may have finally reached a tipping point. For a long time, the online gaming sector in the populous Asian country has been behind China and the United States, and some European regions.

The pandemic led to online gaming being a popular entertainment choice in the country, even though gamers have been gradually increasing since 2016 thanks to the 4G broadband revolution.

In the wake of tough movement restrictions, it has been an advantage to every casino online and other virtual ventures. Jackpotcity is a modern casino and a perfect example of platforms that have invested heavily in technology for enhanced user experience, with super-easy navigation, SSL-secured, responsible and safe. New technological innovations are leaning towards creating an even greater online gaming experience, and India has been one of the standout contributors and beneficiaries.

Rise of India’s Online Gaming Industry

As homebound users turned to alternate kinds of digital entertainment amid Covid-19 lockdowns, Soham Thacker, the founder of Gujarat-based esports start-up Gamerji, has seen the number of users on his video gaming platform soar to 1.4 million from 200,000 in March last year.

Popular games on the platform include the football game FIFA Mobile and the battle games Clash Royale and Free Fire, in which gamers from all across India participate in e-tournaments.

Investors are also interested in India’s growing gaming user base. Gamerji, which was formed in 2019, acquired $500,000 in initial money from an Indian startup capital firm in November, with the help of a few angel investors, and plans to finish its second round of investment later this year.

According to Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predictions 2021 report, India’s gaming industry has emerged as one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment during the pandemic, with the sector’s value rising to $1.5 billion last year from $1.1 billion in 2019, and expected to nearly double to $2.8 billion by 2022.

According to Deloitte, India is expected to add 40 million new online gamers between 2020 and 2022, bringing the total to 368 million. After China, India boasts the world’s second-largest number of online gamers.

The country’s gaming industry, which had long trailed that of the United States and Europe, was beginning to develop before the pandemic, but the crisis has driven it ahead at a far quicker rate.

“Primarily over the past 15 months, that has been the pivotal point of the growth trajectory, driven by quarantines and lockdowns, and a lot of people had limited access to alternative modes of entertainment and more time and disposable money.” Said Parth Das, an entrepreneur and investor who founded the Collective Ace group to focus primarily on mergers and acquisitions and the gaming service sector.

In India, the majority of gamers use their cellphones, with mobile gaming accounting for 85% of all internet gaming. The country’s huge young population, as well as growing smartphone ownership and decreasing data prices, have aided the growth trend. Card and cricket games are popular, but serious players fight for rewards in e-sport events, which are a tiny but rising industry.

The bulk of gamers are under 35 years old and live in India’s main cities.

Loco, a video game streaming platform located in Mumbai, revealed on Monday that it has raised $9 million from investors including Krafton, a South Korean gaming startup, and Lumikai, India’s gaming and interactive media fund.

As gaming evolves “from a niche hobby to a mainstream national interest,” the cash will be utilized to “fuel the platform’s innovation efforts across game streaming technology and gaming content,” according to Loco.

According to the firm, Loco’s monthly active viewership has climbed sixfold in the last year alone, while monthly active streamers have increased tenfold, and live watching hours have increased 48 times since June 2020.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it. Now you know how India’s gaming industry is emerging as a winner. If you have any questions regarding this topic, ask them in the comment section below.