The online gaming sector in India has become one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment during the pandemic. There has been an increase in the number of users of video game platforms from 200,000 in March last year to 1.4 million in this period of staying at home. During isolation from Covid19, people have turned to other forms of digital entertainment.

Popular choices include, such as the football game FIFA Mobile and the fighting games Clash Royale and Free Fire, where players from all over the country even compete with each other in e-tournaments.

It is safe to conclude that the pandemic has had an impact on the growth of online gaming. Due to tensions on the border with China, PUBG and several other apps released by the Chinese company Tencent were banned by the Indian government last year, but have now returned to India in the local version as Battlegrounds (PUBG). India’s growing gaming industry has also attracted the attention of investors.

According to Deloitte, between 2020 and 2022, India is expected to add about 40 million online players, bringing the total to 368 million. India has the world’s second-largest online player after China. The country’s gaming industry has long lagged behind the United States and Europe and began to expand before the pandemic, but this crisis has allowed the industry to develop even faster.

The growth trend is due to the increase in the number of smartphone owners and the decline in data transmission costs, as well as a large number of young people in the country. Popular games include card games and cricket, but serious gamers compete for prizes in sports competitions.

However, this is a growing niche market segment. Most of the players are men under the age of 35 and live in larger cities of India. The popularity of games in India is so great that in the next few years, the platform for playing games will undoubtedly become a global esports powerhouse.

Loco, a video game streaming platform based in Mumbai, announced on Monday that it has raised $9 million from investors such as South Korean game company Krafton and the Indian Interactive Media and Game Foundation. According to Loco, these funds will be used to “advance the platform’s innovative efforts in games, streaming technology, and game content” as the game “transforms from a niche hobby to a national interest.”

According to the company, since June 2020, the number of monthly active viewers of Loco has increased by 6 times in the past year, while the number of monthly active anchors has increased by 10 times, and the length of live broadcast has increased by 48 times. Established in 2018, it is one of the largest gaming platforms in India, with games such as Rummy, Billiards, and Chess.

Credits: The National News