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The Indian mobile market will eclipse PC and console, says Manish Agarwal

Pocket Gamer Connects Bangalore kicks off

The Indian mobile market will eclipse PC and console, says Manish Agarwal

Under the baking Bangalore sun, day one of Pocket Gamer Connects' Indian tour has begun.

Undeterred by that unintended rhyme, over the next couple of days hundreds of developers and mobile games professionals from all corners of the globe will descend to share their insights on this emerging market.

Held in partnership with publisher Reliance Games, Pocket Gamer Connects Bangalore shines a spotlight on India's mobile games industry as it progresses from Bambi steps across an unstable infrastructure to make bold strides into the global wrestling ring.

According to Manish Agarwal, CEO of Reliance Games, now is "the best time to be a games developer in India. Soon you are going to have the second largest - if not the first - domestic market in the world."

He tells us "If you are an inspired and passionate game developer it's the right time to explore the market and get in there before the market explodes."

Waking up the dragon

Indeed, India is often highlighted as the sleeping giant with massive potential. The number of new handsets being introduced to the market has skyrocketed in recent years, in tandem with downloads and data usage.

"The gaming world in the Indian market is going to be more mobile than PC or console," says Agarwal, "because it's never been exposed to that. There are 100 million people who will have leapfrogged PC internet and gone straight to mobile.

The Indian market is going to be more mobile than PC or console.
Manish Agarwal

"As the Indian mobile internet infrastructure gets 3G and 4G, it could be the fastest consumption market and usage market in the world."

It's a combination that Agarwal believes is rumbling in to the perfect storm for mobile games development in India, where limited consumer access to PC and consoles could make mobile games the new AAA.

"I can tell you this is one of the most exciting markets. It's 300 million mobile gamers latching on to your brands and your games - we have seen that happening in China that grew from a very small market to huge revenue and downloads.

"I said two years back, wait and watch, in two years time everyone will be lining up in India like what's happening in China - and now it's happening"


News Editor