Gaming trends in India 2023: The Indian esports market saw significant development and expanded into a billion-dollar industry in 2022, scaling previously unimaginable heights and producing record-breaking earnings. The country’s gaming market, which has 507 million players, reached the $2.6 billion mark this year and is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27% to $8.6 billion by 2027.
The industry’s exceptional growth this year may be attested to by the sales figures, but they do not represent all of this journey’s noteworthy features. The industry was elevated to a new level by a number of milestones that were achieved throughout the year, and the general public’s perception of video games was changed for the better.
2022, a year to remember in the Indian gaming history
The government’s official recognition of Esports as a multi-sport event, which eventually distinguished video games from fantasy games, was without a doubt the most significant of these. Years of community work ultimately paid off with the ground-breaking choice that ushered in India’s golden age of video gaming.
The participation of mainstream media outlets like INOX, OTT platforms, and TV stations that televised high-profile Esports competitions like the BGMI Masters Series 2022 also caused viewership to soar and video gaming to become the first mainstream sport in India.
Then there were the incredible feats of India’s gifted athletes, including Hitesh Khorwal’s top 8 finish in Tekken at the 14th World Esports Championship and Muhammad Ibrahim’s historic bronze medal in DOTA 2 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Following that, the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) approval of the Olympic Esports Week in June 2023 and the proposal of Esports as an official medal sport at the 2025 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) were also significant victories for the business on a global scale.
Big-name non-endemic companies like Puma, Bingo, Hyundai and many others also saw the industry’s potential and announced their entry into the gaming business in order to take advantage of its profitable potential.
Here are five important trends to watch out for in 2023 as a result of all of these victories that have improved the country’s Esports scene and created the conditions for a grand slam year for the industry as a whole.
In-game spending
Throughout 2022, the Indian gaming scene underwent a significant transformation, as in-game purchases reached previously unheard-of heights. According to a new 2022 India Games Market Report by Niko Partners, this year, 396.4 million gamers in India’s PC and mobile markets spent close to $704.5 million.
In 2022, almost 34% of video gamers in the nation spent money on games, demonstrating the rise in the proportion of in-game purchases made by both ardent and casual gamers in the nation.
By 2026, player expenditure is expected to increase to $1.4 billion, with 630 million gamers, demonstrating that the current trend will continue and peak in 2023.
5G and Metaverse
The world has been swept up by several technological developments, and the gaming industry is no exception. Giving players a seamless experience by enabling them to communicate electronically, create and expand environments, and create minigames within a game
Virtual reality gaming has advanced thanks to Metaverse and entered a completely new realm. 5G on the other hand will open up many more possibilities for the Indian gaming industry.
Asian Games
At the Asian Games the following year, esports will make its debut as a full-fledged medal sport, and the entire gaming community will be watching to see which nation creates history.
The 18-person Indian team, who qualified for the prestigious event through the National Esports Championships, will compete in five different video games, including DOTA 2, Hearthstone, FIFA 22, Street Fighter V, and League of Legends, to represent their nation. The competition will mark the first time that the entire nation will view gamers as athletes and come together to support and cheer them on, which has great significance for the gaming community.
More Physical Tournaments
With the pandemic coming first and the BGMI ban following, it has been a wild journey for LAN competitions in the nation. Online competitions became the norm after the lockdown as the community gained acclimated to them. This led to the eventual opening of the world to everyone. Esports tournaments were once more held on a significant scale, but the ban on India’s leading video game, BGMI, ruined the majority of the live events, casting serious doubt on their return.
LAN tournaments will, however, make a big comeback in 2023 because of Esports organisations embracing the multi-roster strategy and the appearance of new video games like Valorant, Pokemon Unite, and PUBG: New State, which is acquiring enormous popularity.
More Made in India games
The nation’s game creators have been working tirelessly for years to create high-calibre video games that will put India on the map alongside renowned publishers like Netease, Tencent, Supercell, etc., but they frequently lack the funds to do so.
With sufficient money now flowing from both large corporations and the government, that barrier will be removed, giving the domestic video game industry the boost it needs to thrive.
Indian gaming companies have raised $2.8 billion from investors in the last five years, according to the Lumikai Gaming study. This figure is expected to rise in 2023, inspiring and providing local game developers with enough resources to produce excellent, first-rate games while also promoting made-in-India video games.
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