Video Games in India

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Cheaper smartphones and data plans helping to drive interest in mobile games in 2019

Mobile games saw extraordinary growth over the review period, with the category accounting for over half of all value sales of toys and games by 2019 and with growth showing no signs of slowing. A key factor in this was the fact that smartphones have become increasingly affordable with local brands such as Lava, Karbonn and Micromax competing with Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo.

E-sports starting to take off in India as large cash prizes capture the imagination of gamers

E-sports is seen to have a bright future on a global scale with worldwide tournaments with large cash prizes catching the attention of gamers. The large amounts of money now being seen in e-sports has even resulted in the rise of professional e-sports competitors, with some gamers in India starting to see e-sports as a viable career path.

PlayStation 4 extends dominance in static consoles despite showing signs of maturity

Sony India Pvt Ltd retained the lead in video games in 2019, with this being down to its strength in video games hardware. The company’s flagship PlayStation 4 continued to dominate static consoles in 2019, with it continuing to record growth in 2019.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

In 2020, sales of video games are now expected to grow by 35% in constant 2019 value terms in light of the impact of COVID-19. This compares to a 42% rise in sales forecast in our 2019 edition of toys and games.

Affected products within video games

Video games hardware is expected to continue recording healthy growth in 2020 driven by the strong demand for AR/VR headsets. As online gaming continues to take giant strides the demand for AR/VR headsets is exploding as gamers look to enhance their experience.

Recovery and opportunities

COVID-19 is not expected to significantly impede the development of video games in India, with some products even likely to benefit as consumers go in search of new sources of entertainment. Mobile games is undoubtedly the jewel in the crown with growing smartphone penetration enabling increasing numbers of consumers to enter the world of online gaming.

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