What Can We Expect from the Gaming Ecosystem Within the Indian Economy in 2021?

In 2017, Google-KPMG conducted a study that forecast the Indian gaming industry to be worth around $1.1 billion by 2021. Forecasting towards the future can be useful to analyse which sectors of the economy are growing as they should, and which ones could benefit from greater investment. The gaming ecosystem in India’s economy is particularly useful as it reflects how the Digital India scheme is working and is an indicator for the future. But what can we expect from the gaming ecosystem as far as it relates to India’s economy in 2021?

Mobile Market

One of the first aspects that has fed into India’s gaming ecosystem being so strong for the country’s economy is the fact that smartphones and mobile really took off. Mobile devices mean that more people can engage with gaming than before, which helps developers gain more investment by explaining how the audience and potential market of players has grown so much.

For example, as well as games being developed to a greater degree on mobile devices as apps, more traditional forms of entertainment are moving towards the mobile market. For instance, Genesis Casino makes clear to its customers that their online casino gaming options are optimized for mobile users. Globally, more than half of the gaming revenue comes from mobile gaming, so it’s clear that the proliferation in India of those with smartphones (up to 500 million in 2019 representing a 15% increase on 2018) impacts the economy. This will likely continue to increase into 2021.

Digital Development

The commitment to digital development feeds into the success of the gaming industry. As part of the digital focus, games design has come to the fore. 2017 also saw Youzu Interactive attempt to plumb $10 million into the local market through creating relationships with local games designers. By attracting foreign investment in the gaming field, India can show that not only is it on track to achieve its digital dominance, but it is doing so in a way that reflects the global economy and successful sectors.

Going into 2021, this investment will likely improve. As India is showing a further commitment to laying down better internet for its towns, cities, and rural communities, the investment towards its digital aspirations are expected to be more likely. By improving the infrastructure for digital dominance, India will be able to continue to allow its gaming industry to flourish. More people will turn to gaming, which will continue to bolster the industry on the whole.

The Google-KPMG study turned out to be accurate in that gaming is an important aspect of India’s economy. The digital drive is the main reason that gaming has been able to flourish and the further success will also help feed back to the success of the digital strategy itself. A combination of the mobile market, which has made gaming audiences more flexible, and the push for digital have helped show that India can not only utilize its own gaming population, but that the country has the capabilities to create games and concepts that others will play around the world.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes