'1.4 Billion Blue Ocean' Gamejok Namaste

After Four Years of Export Blockade Due to License Suspension, Shifting Focus to India's Mobile Game Market
Mobile Game Usage Surges Amid COVID-19
Similar Preferences to Domestic Users
Also Targeting Taiwan and Southeast Asia

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] 'Catch the Indian Elephant!'

With the suspension of the issuance of game licenses (distribution permits) in China, the world's largest game market, cutting off exports to China for the fourth consecutive year, the gaming industry is turning its attention to the Indian mobile game market. As indoor activities have increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, mobile game usage has risen worldwide, drawing attention to the growth of India's mobile game market, which ranks second in population after China. In addition, mobile games based on long-standing domestic PC games that have been strong in Southeast Asia are once again targeting the local market.

Emerging Indian Mobile Game Market

According to the industry on the 28th, mobile game consumption in India is rapidly increasing, making it an emerging export market for games. According to the global mobile game consumer spending analysis by mobile data analytics platform App Annie, consumer spending on mobile games in India's two major app markets, Google Play and Apple App Store, reached $60.3 million (approximately 72.3 billion KRW) in the second quarter, up about 75% from the first quarter of last year. During this period, mobile game downloads reached 2.5 billion, an increase of about 55% compared to the first quarter of last year. Mobile game usage increased at the beginning of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with India showing the highest growth rate among countries worldwide. Indian mobile game users played an average of 4.2 games per person per month last year, but in the first half of this year, when COVID-19 was rampant, this increased by 35% to 5.6 games.

Domestic game companies also have high expectations for the Indian market. Krafton's flagship intellectual property (IP), 'Battlegrounds (BG) Mobile,' ranks first in revenue among all game and non-game apps on the Indian Apple App Store. Since March 2018, Tencent of China has been servicing BG Mobile in India, and the game has gained explosive popularity locally, with cumulative downloads exceeding 150 million.

Netmarble, which is strong in the global market, is also targeting the top ranks of the Indian mobile game revenue charts. 'Marvel Contest of Champions,' serviced by Netmarble's North American subsidiary Kabam, ranks within the top 10 in revenue on the Indian Apple App Store, and Netmarble's own IP-based mobile game 'StoneAge World,' launched in June, has entered the top 80 in revenue rankings.

With Chinese giants Alibaba and Tencent joining in, India is emerging as a battleground for Korean and Chinese games. Professor Wi Jeong-hyun of Chung-Ang University, who serves as president of the Korea Game Society, explained, "The game industry has the characteristic of easily penetrating local IT industries regardless of nationality," adding, "Starting with game industry entry, it can expand into messenger services and e-commerce businesses." An industry insider said, "India's population reaches 1.4 billion, and with the increase in smartphone usage, demand for mobile games is rapidly growing," adding, "India is increasingly being added as a target country for global expansion."

Accelerating Southeast Asian Market Penetration

The gaming industry is also focusing on penetrating local markets in Southeast Asia, including Taiwan and Hong Kong, where domestic gamers' preferences are similar. NCSoft, which succeeded with the 'Lineage' series in Taiwan, plans to launch 'Lineage 2M' in Taiwan and other global markets in the fourth quarter. Nexon's 'KartRider Rush Plus,' released in May, is performing well, ranking 6th in Taiwan and 9th in Indonesia on the Apple App Store revenue charts. Kakao Games is accelerating its local market penetration by acquiring Southeast Asian game company 'Glohow,' and its recently released 'Guardian Tales' has been successful, gaining popularity in Thailand and other countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.