India Adds 15 Mn Paying Gamers in 2021: Report

Paying gamers in India increased by 17 per cent from 80 million in 2020 to 95 million in 2021 which acclaims that India is spending more on console games, PC and mobile, as per the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Ernst & Young (EY) report. 

The total number of online gamers increased by 8 per cent from 360 million to 390 million in 2021. By 2023 the number of gamers is expected to cross 450 million. Double-digit growth for the gaming industry has grown exponentially due to an increase in spending. The online gaming segment in India has grown 28 per cent in terms of annual revenue from Rs 79 billion in 2020 to Rs 101 billion in 2021, as per the report. 

For transaction-based games, revenue has grown by 26 per cent owing to an interest in real money games on rummy and fantasy sports. Revenue for casual gaming and esports grew by 32 per cent due to an increase in in-app purchases. 

Ashish Pherwani, Entertainment Head, EY India, said that an increase in spending on online gaming is attributed to average users spending more time as well as the increasing volume of new gamers in India. 

He also pointed out that, the factors that contribute to the lifting of the ban on gaming across several states and remote learning leading to addition, increase in the spending capacity of mid and serious gamers and the emergence of new gamers in tier 3 cities. 

In several states like Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu ban on transaction-based games were lifted in 2021 after a few gaming companies moved the issue to the High Court. 

A report showed that in-app purchases grew by 40 per cent despite a ban on PUBG mobile. As per Sensor Tower, PUBG is still the highest-grossing game globally. The report further added that revenue from esports grew from Rs 7.5 billion in 2020 to Rs 9.7 billion in 2021 and the advertisement revenue grew exponentially.