The mobile gaming industry is expected to touch Rs 2,620 crore by 2019, as per a latest report from KPMG. The industry will report a year-on-year growth of 20 per cent over the next five years, added the report.
The report stated that the mobile gaming market has grown from Rs 820 crore in 2013 to Rs 1,070 billion in 2014, mainly due to the rising smartphone and tablet penetration. A common trend seen is that most users do not prefer downloading large sized games, despite low-cost data plans and inexpensive game rates. The report touted that worldwide 44 per cent of all smartphone and tablets are used for gaming and by 2018 the total count of mobile game users would reach one billion. The estimated value of the global mobile gaming industry was USD 25 billion in 2014, which is a leap of 42 per cent over 2013, it added.
“New and creative games appealing to various age groups and catering to a range of interests are being developed. This is likely to change the user demographics with younger gamers and more females getting on board along with a new category — the mom gamers. While the free-to-play simple mobile games appeal to a broader audience, the report noted that the mobile gamer is averse to paying for mobile games despite the healthy growth rate,”
said the report.
KPMG believes that the internet infrastructure will strengthen as promised under the Digital India initiative that will act as catalyst for digital downloads of gaming. Mobile phones are likely to become the preferred platform for gaming, surpassing other content delivery platforms, in the coming years, with the increase in use of portable devices and improved connectivity, concluded the report.