Scaling unusual heights and creating record-breaking revenues in 2022, the Indian eSports industry went through extreme changes and flourished into a billion-dollar industry. With more than 507 million gamers, the nation’s gaming market reached a $2.6 billion imprint this year and will develop at a CAGR of 27% to reach $8.6 billion by 2027, as per the new Lumikai Gaming Report.

The revenue numbers might be a demonstration of the industry’s striking development this year, yet they alone are not the champion of this excursion. Various achievements were achieved during the time, which raised the industry to a more significant level and changed everybody’s viewpoint regarding video gaming, giving them an uplifting perspective.

2022: A milestone year for Indian gaming
The most significant of these was unquestionably the official government recognition of Esports as a multi-sport event, which finally distinguished video gaming from fantasy games. Years of community effort finally dragged natural products along with the revolutionary decision that paved the way for India’s brilliant time of video gaming.

There are the heroics of India’s gifted athletes, who won an impressive bronze medal in DOTA 2 at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Sim racer Muhammad Ibrahim was ranked #5 globally, and Hitesh Khorwal finished in the top 8 (Tekken) at the 14th World Esports Championship. Following that, the proposal of eSports as an official medal sport at the 2025 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) and the affirmation of the Olympic Esports Week in June 2023 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were likewise key victories for the industry on the global stage.

Furthermore, the contribution of mainstream media such as INOX, OTT platforms, and TV channels that broadcast high-profile Esports tournaments such as the BGMI Masters Series 2022 caused viewership to skyrocket and video gaming to become a mainstream game in India for the first time.

Big-name non-endemic brands like Puma, Bingo, Hyundai, and a lot more additionally understood the capability of the industry and announced their arrival in the gaming market to capitalize on its lucrative prospects.

With these achievements enhancing the nation’s Esports scene and paving the way for a grand slam year for the entire sector to flourish, the following are five key trends to look out for in 2023.

Promotion of made-in-India video games
Game developers in the nation have been working for a long time to create video games of the highest quality that will put India on the worldwide map, along with well-known publishers like Netease, Tencent, Supercell, and so on, but have frequently missed the mark on funding to do so.

That obstacle is currently being addressed, with adequate funding flowing in from large corporations as well as the government itself, providing the industry with the necessary push to prosper.

As expressed in the Lumikai Gaming report, Indian gaming organizations have raised $2.8 billion from investors over the most recent five years. This number is probably going to flood in 2023, motivating and presenting homegrown game developers with adequate funds to make superior, top-notch games while additionally prompting “Make in India” video games.

Increase in physical LAN tournaments
It has been a thrill ride for LAN tournaments in the country, with the pandemic first and then the boycott of BGMI. The lockdown got the community acclimated to online tournaments, which turned into the norm until the world opened up for everybody. Esports tournaments are once again conducted on a large scale, yet the restriction on India’s dominant gaming title, BGMI, undermined most of the in-person tournaments, leaving an immense question mark on their return.

However, with Esports organizations adopting a multi-roster approach and the rise of other popular gaming titles such as Valorant, Pokemon Unite, and PUBG: New State, LAN tournaments will return quickly and unequivocally in 2023.

In-game player spending
The gaming community in India developed radically all through 2022 and found itself spending more in-game money than ever before. India’s PC and mobile markets created player spending of nearly $704.5 million with 396.4 million gamers this year, as per the recent 2022 India Games Market Report by Niko Partners.

Around 34% of video gamers in the nation will spend money on games in 2022, exhibiting the expansion in the number and eagerness of both hardcore and casual video gamers in the country to pay in-game.

If current trends continue, player spending is expected to rise to $1.4 billion with 630 million players by 2026, with a spike in 2023.

Asian Games
Esports will make its debut as a full-fledged medal sport at the following year’s Asian Games, and the whole gaming organization’s eyes will be on it to see which nation writes history.

India’s 18-member contingent, which got its berth at the esteemed event through the National Esports Championships, will address the country in five titles: DOTA 2, Hearthstone, FIFA 22, Street Fighter V, and League of Legends. The tournament holds great importance for the gaming community, as the nation will view gamers as athletes for the first time and support them.

Metaverse, Web3, 5G
Various technological trends have overwhelmed the whole world, and the gaming universe is no different. Giving a consistent encounter to gamers by permitting them to connect virtually, build and foster universes, and develop sub-games inside a game,

Metaverse has taken virtual reality gaming and transformed it into something entirely new.

Incorporating blockchain innovation into gaming, Web3 has opened up new roads for gamers to possess in-game assets as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), giving them absolute control. One more benefit for the gaming scene is that 5G’s low latency, high penetration, and rapid speed will make video gaming vivid and assist in multiplying the number of gamers all over the country.

The Indian gaming community just got a brief look at these trends in 2022; they will transform the industry and have extensive impacts in the forthcoming year.

Credit: abp Live