India
Indian battle royale game Indus passes 1.5 million registrations
With a fourth playtest announced in order to further polish esports features
Equity In Gaming
Zynga India’s Divya Nair on gender equity in the mobile games space
Zynga recently held a tech meet-up for women in the gaming industry
Data
Mobile Global Esports collaborates on AI-driven data analysis
Data from players will tie them to physical locations in order to target special offers
Sensor Tower Report
The USA, India, and emerging markets are leading the way in app installs
But predictions state that China is poised for a resurgence in the coming period
Equality In Games
Zynga India spearheads tech meetup for women in games
The meetup followed International Women’s Day
Pokemon Power
Indian Pokémon Unite tournament boast biggest prize pool ever
The esports event takes place between April and June with $75,000 up for grabs
Indian Market
Nazara CEO: Indian market playing catch up with game monetisation
Despite the growth of India’s mobile gaming sector, the country trails in effective monetisation
New Partnership
S8UL partners with Krafton to launch Road to Valor: Empires in India
The new partnership aims to boost India’s gaming ecosystem
Appsflyer Report
India saw a 32% rise in hypercasual installs in 2022
Google’s ban on interstitial ads caused ripples in the market, while India surged ahead
Mobile Esports
Global Esports CEO Dr Rushindra Sinha weighs in on the state of mobile esports in India
The sector is ripe for disruption, but may be unsustainable
Releases
Krafton's Road To Valour: Empire stands in for BGMI in India
While BGMI remains banned, Krafton seek to regain market share with a new India-specific title
Gaming In India
Xbox aiming to bridge the mobile-console gap in India
Microsoft’s gaming arm is hoping to capitalise on both India’s thriving mobile industry and nascent console scene
Legislation
Krafton confident that BGMI will be 'unbanned'
The ban severely burned Krafton’s bottom line in mobile battle royale games
Changes Ahead
Google opens the door to alternative app stores in India
Following requirements by the CCI Google have made the first moves to allow in-app billing outside Google's own Play Store.
Qyou Acquisition
QYOU Media acquires 51% of Maxamtech Digital Ventures, sets sights on remaining 49%
The majority stake has been acquired for an undisclosed amount
Successful Funding
Indian developer Giga Fun Studios raises $2.4 million in funding
The round was led by Lumikai and Fireside Ventures
Stocks
Apple’s market value dropped below $2tn over Christmas. What’s gone wrong?
Apple’s stock price has taken a battering and the previously untouchable giant of smartphones has an uncertain 2023 ahead
2022 Highlights
BIG Stories of 2022 - The rise of mobile in new nations
2022 has seen major shifts in the mobile gaming industry, amongst them new markets and nations are rising or coming into vogue. Let’s take a look at the one to watch come 2023.
Market Analysis
Digital future to be led by Mexico, Slovakia and Saudi Arabia, as China set to feel brunt of global slump
A breakdown of growing digital markets sees China slump, and a shift in the top three growing markets, which affects mobile gaming
Updates
Krafton reaches November update for New State mobile
Krafton’s latest update for the second instalment in the PUBG franchise includes additional mechanics, and may be a new source of focus
Analysis
China may still be top of the mobile game, but India is closing in
India has been picking up the pace in recent years with a view to overtaking China as the biggest mobile market
Collaboration
Reliance Games partners with Atari to publish city-builder & management game Citytopia
The Indian developer will partner with Atari to publish the city-builder & management mobile game Citytopia
Financials
Krafton sees slow 2% growth in Q3 financials and 12% sales dip for PUBG mobile, but stays committed to Indian market
Although Krafton has faced many challenges continuing the operation of PUBG Mobile in India, according to its Q3 financials the company remains committed to the market
PokÉmon Prize
The winners of upcoming Pokémon Unite tournament will receive one of biggest prize pools in the game’s history in India
Pokémon Unite India Open 2022 is taking place across India in partnership with The Pokémon Company
Hires
Jetsynthesys hires Krafton's ex-Head of Corporate Development
Anuj Tandon, previously Head of Corporate Development for India and MENA with Krafton, has been brought on as CEO of Gaming at Jetsynthesys
Chinese Market
Chinese mobile market revenue to decline for first time in two decades
China’s lucrative mobile sector, has been forecast to decline for the first time in twenty years
Google Pay
India’s antitrust watchdog fines Google for $113 million
The country found that Google abused its dominant position in the market
News
QYOU Media India to acquire controlling share in mobile gaming company
The deal between QYOU Media India and Maxamtech Digital Ventures provides a fascinating insight into the mobile gaming market of India.
News
India set to be top of the (mobile) game by 2025
According to a recent KPMG report, the mobile market in India is expected to grow massively by 2025 due to government investment and growing digitalisation.
News
Krafton Exec exits amidst continued BattleGround Mobile woes
Krafton’s BattleGrounds Mobile India has yet to be reinstated after it was delisted by the Indian government.
News
Mobile Gaming in India grows with 5G and smartphone adoption
The world’s second largest country by population is increasingly adopting mobile gaming as a way to play. Both stumbling blocks and potential boosters being at play.
Mobile Streaming
Vodafone Idea partners with CareGame for India’s first cloud gaming service
The service will be previewed at India Mobile Congress 2022
Rmg Gaming
50 percent of genZ gamers in India actively participate in real money gaming
A report by Newzoo and MAAS delves into the Indian mobile gaming industry
Independence Day
SuperGaming reveals community playtest figures as Indus' trailer premieres in Time Square
Community playtest showed that 80 per cent of Indus Battle Royal players had a positive sentiment toward the theme of Indo-Futurism
Further Commitment For Indian Gaming Industry
Kunal Mordekar joins Bombay Play as chief operating officer
Previously held positions at Yoozoo Games India
Two In Pune
SuperGaming opens second office in Pune
Will support development of upcoming battle royale Indus
Esports Events
Gameloft and Nodwin Gaming to launch mobile esports events in India
Events for Gameloft's Asphalt IP
Indian Investments
Nazara invests $2.5 million in Bitkraft Ventures
Aims to benefit from future partnerships, M&A, and co-investment opportunities
Investing In India
Games24x7 raises $75 million in latest funding round
Valued at $2.5 billion
Indian Investment
Bombay Play quadruples valuation in latest funding round
Raises $7 million in Series A, brings total funding to $9.5 million
Mobile First
Xsolla: Indian game developers should continue a mobile-first approach
Focus on porting games to console after mobile release
Making Of
Indus brings Indian culture and elevates mobile gamers to "first class citizens"
SuperGaming's Roby John on treating mobile gamers as "first class citizens" and blending a battle royale with Indo-futurism
Fundamentals
Understanding design and the user journey in India's mobile gaming scene
PlayerzPot's Mihir Sanchala goes back to the fundamentals as he discusses the expanding awareness of designing the player's journey in India's mobile gaming industry
Going Strong
SuperGaming's Silly Royale surpasses 17 million downloads following Squid Games-inspired event
Squid Games-inspired in-game event a key driver
Three Tiers
Vodafone Idea and Nazara launch mobile games subscription service Vi Games
Over 1,200 Android and web-based games available
Indian Esports
Indian esports and game streaming platform Loco raises $42 million
Backed by PUBG Mobile developer Krafton
Subscription Service Expands
Google Play Pass launches in India with more than 1,000 titles
Requiring Android 4.4 or above to run
Garena Going Strong
Free Fire was the most downloaded game for January 2022
Subway Surfers comes in close second
Insight On India
The Financial Budget brings the spotlight to India’s gaming industry
Nazara Technologies’ Manish Agarwal shares his optimism for the Indian mobile games industry following the 2022 Union Budget
Free Fired
Garena Free Fire banned in India after 238 million downloads
Free Fire: Illuminate and Free Fire Max extinguished