BGMI ban could negatively impact India’s gaming market growth in 2023: Report

The Indian gaming market’s growth could be negatively impacted in 2023 due to the 2022 ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), according to market research and consulting firm Niko Partners. South Korean developer Krafton’s BGMI, one of the most popular battle royale games, was banned in July this year by the Indian government over alleged safety and privacy concerns. According to Niko Partners, as a consequence of the ban, the Indian gaming market growth could be lower than expected in 2023.

But despite this ban, India’s PC and mobile gaming markets will continue to grow, with the number of gamers in 2022 expected to double from 396.4 million to 630 million in 2026.  Gamers across both segments are expected to spend $704.5 million in 2022, and that amount is predicted to rise to $1.4 billion in the year 2026. The report does not include the figures from the real money games (RMG) market, which comprises card games cards like Poker and Rummy, and Fantasy sports.

India is the fastest-growing market in Asia in terms of gamers and revenue, adds the report.  Currently, the country stands second to China in the total number of gamers.

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The report also found that Indian gamers spend 14.1 hours per week on mobile, with the country having the highest proportion of gamers who play over 5 hours per week. The fact that data costs are the lowest in the world in the country with 5G on the way also helps boost numbers.

A whopping 98.8 per cent of Indian gamers play games on smartphones, as opposed to PCs and consoles, with cost being the most obvious reason. On a similar note, another recent report by technology staffing firm TeamLease Digital highlighted that the gaming industry is expected to add 1 lakh direct and indirect new jobs by the financial year 2023-24.