Growth of the Indian Mobile Gaming Market

India Breaks into Top Five, Fast Becoming a Major Gaming Market

 

India’s mobile app market has drawn plenty of attention this year as it continues to grow at breakneck speeds. Globally, games have been the key driver of mobile app growth, but much of the hype around India has typically centered around its explosive online retail market. That could be about to change: In Q2 2016, India ranked fifth globally by game downloads, jumping two places up the rankings compared to the same quarter in the previous year. It is expected to surpass both Russia and Brazil in the coming years. Limited access to gaming consoles and PCs has traditionally kept electronic gaming out of reach for the majority of Indian consumers. However, surging adoption of low-cost but powerful smartphones has enabled mobile gaming to take off in a big way and India is well positioned to be the next major gaming market.

Game Downloads Soar With Google Play Leading the Charge in India

The Indian gaming market is rapidly growing, with the bulk of the growth in both downloads and revenue driven by Google Play, as proliferation of low-cost Android devices across lower-tier Indian cities continues to rise. Between Q2 2014 and Q2 2016, game downloads in India more than doubled, with Google Play generating 13 times more downloads compared to iOS. Additionally, the overall amount of time Indian users spent in mobile games grew sharply over the past year, and will continue to increase as more Indian mobile users gain access to games.

India’s Downloads and Usage Growth Paves Way for Game Monetization

As discussed in App Annie’s App Market Maturity Model, the relationship between downloads, usage and revenue are deeply intertwined. Mature markets like the United States are in the midst of a shift from a download growth phase to one characterized by strong app usage and revenue growth. Meanwhile, emerging markets like India are still experiencing hypergrowth in app downloads, including games. Gaming habits develop gradually as users interact with a subset of favorable game genres and spend more time playing. At the current stage of growth, game monetization in India has yet to peak, quagmired by existing challenges in infrastructure, payment channels and low spending habits. Nevertheless, improvements in wireless network coverage and affordability of telecommunications services, coupled with continued initiatives to extend direct carrier billing will open up ample opportunities for game publishers to scale their user acquisition and monetization activities in India.

Game Revenue Up 80% as India’s Game Spend Increased

App store revenue from games posted 80% growth between Q2 2014 and Q2 2016. While iOS constitutes less than a tenth of game downloads, iOS gamers contributed around 70% of combined iOS and Google Play store revenue in Q2 2014. This suggests that spending was largely contained within the more premium segment of the market. Google Play revenue grew to match iOS in Q2 2016, as mobile gamers from the majority — Android users — started spending. We expect this trend to continue. High-end Android smartphones are also increasingly popular, challenging Apple’s longstanding dominance in the premium segment. This will in turn contribute toward Google Play’s growing app spend. While absolute revenue remains relatively small, the launch of Google Play prepaid vouchers and the lowering of the minimum price tier for apps and in-app purchases from Rs 50 to Rs 10 (US$ 0.15) in 2015 should continue to incentivize publishers to launch games in India.

Characteristics of India’s Mobile Gaming Market

Strategy and Social Card Games Drive Monetization

Download growth between Q2 2015 and Q2 2016 can be observed across nearly all gaming categories on Google Play in India, as its emerging user base continues experimenting with different types of games. However, Q2 2016 highlighted a shift in India’s gaming behavior, with a significant increase in time spent in immersive strategy games versus casual games compared to the same quarter in the previous year. While convincing users to spend money on games remains a challenge in India, two categories stand out for solid improvements in monetization: strategy and social card games. The latter has been able to ride on the success of mobile adaptations of traditional Teen Patti card games.

Strong Western Influence in India’s Gaming Market

In India, games popular globally monopolized the top ranks by downloads in Q2 2016, with mainstream favorite Candy Crush Saga comfortably securing the top spot. Endless runner games are also a favorite among Indian gamers, with fast-paced, arcade-style action games such as Subway Surfers and Temple Run 2 generating healthy download volumes as a result of their easy learning curves and high entertainment value. The strong performance of global publishers has not completely dampened

opportunities for Indian publishers to break into the top download charts. One example of a successful locally published game is Train Simulator 2016, which reached #4 in the ranks. Released in March 2016 by Timuz, the game features an endless runner mechanism mixed with familiar themes and settings from India’s railway network, which is one of the most extensive in the world. Other games by Timuz have also gained traction, with Bike Racing Mania peaking at #1 in Google Play daily downloads in early April. Between Q2 2015 to Q2 2016, the combined number of iOS and Google Play downloads in India across all games published by Timuz grew approximately 20x. With demand for games rising rapidly in India, there will be plenty of opportunities for overseas publishers to invest and acquire new users alongside local studios.

Social And Multiplayer Predicate Usage Success

Local Publishers Fill Unmet Gaming Gaps by Tapping Into Local Pastimes

As previously highlighted, time spent in games in India is also showing rapid growth. Strategy games dominate, with Clash of Clans and Clash Royale ranking in the top three in Android phone games by time spent. Both titles, along with Candy Crush Saga, have developed a sizable base of active users in India, and leverage heavily on multiplayer and social functionalities as key retention hooks. Social elements are crucial, but Indian game publishers have also succeeded in tapping into Indian cultural habits and activities to create hit games. Teen Patti is an Indian version of a three-card social game traditionally enjoyed as a social activity, but is now frequently played on smartphones as well. Octro’s Teen Patti is currently the most popular variant, but new Teen Patti titles continue to emerge.

Despite being the most popular sport in India, the cricket mobile game genre has yet to really take off. Local publisher Nextwave Multimedia has attempted to capitalize on the lack of quality cricket games and successfully brought the experience to the mobile platform. Released in July 2015, World Cricket Championship 2 quickly entered the top 10 and saw substantial gains in active user base over its predecessor, World Cricket Championship.

Cultural Awareness Also Helps Indian Publishers Generate Revenue Success

With Indian users spending so much time in strategy games, it is unsurprising that 4 of the top 10 games by revenue in Q2 2016 were leading strategy titles. It is worth noting, however, that many local publishers are monetizing relatively well with Teen Patti games. As previously highlighted, Teen Patti in India is more of a social experience rather than a gambling activity. So even in the absence of a stake and the chance of a real-money return, players return to these games to interact with friends and family. Teen Patti games generate revenue via gifting, which is a common feature among the top revenue-generating games in India. Spending virtual chips to send gifts such as flowers and rings enhances the experience for gamers and subsequently increases engagement. Understanding these unique cultural dynamics will help both local and foreign publishers achieve greater success in the Indian market.

Opportunities

Indian Mobile Gaming Market is Set for Rapid Growth

Looking ahead, App Annie forecasts accelerated growth in the Indian mobile app market, with ample opportunity for both local and foreign publishers. We project app store downloads for all games — foreign and domestic — in India to more than double to 1.6 billion in 2016, and reach 5.3 billion by 2020. Adoption of smartphones by the expanding middle class will continue to be a significant growth driver, as handset vendors intensify their focus on lower-tier cities. As economic prospects improve for India’s large, youthful population, India’s gaming market is poised to soar as well. Gamers are exploring global hits, and downloads and usage are exploding across many categories. Engaged gamers are already spending more time in games and paying for game content. We expect game revenue to grow at a CAGR of 87% to reach as high as $1.1 billion by 2020. This forecast is calculated by App Annie and is determined in its sole discretion independent of NASSCOM.

Learn from Cultural Traditions and Incorporate Social Elements for Success

The anytime, anywhere nature of mobile gaming has enabled it to become a key platform in India for both online and offline social interactions. Candy Crush’s nationwide popularity in India was predominantly driven by young women. It has sustained its popularity by becoming an outlet for competition as players strive to outscore their friends. As previously highlighted, Teen Patti mobile games have also enjoyed a measure of success through their social elements. These games have helped players cross both the physical divide as well as the generation gap, allowing a time-honored tradition to live on through mobile, even beyond the Diwali festive period. Octro has been very successful in engaging all segments of the Indian community by releasing versions of its Teen Patti games in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati. They have also effectively leveraged mobile advertising to acquire new users, utilizing video ads that showcased lively interactions between friends and family. In fact, these games rose to take the #1 and #4 ranks for the highest share of Vungle’s Android phone ad impressions for the week of June 19 to June 25, 2016 in India. --- Source App Annie & NASSCOM

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