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Recently, during the Budget 2022, Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on the prosperous future of video games in India.
Over the last five years, mobile gaming in India has grown to be one of the biggest sectors that have garnered the attention of the youth. When PUBG mobile was introduced back in 2018, audiences were surprised and enthusiastic to have a high-quality, PC level game in the palm of their hand. Interestingly, this coincided with the rapid development in the telecommunications sector, as Telecom brands offered customers 4G internet access at a very cheap rate, which in turn accelerated the countrywide reach of gaming.
Competitive esports, especially that of CS: GO, have been a niche sector of the Indian population since the early 2010s.
With competitive mobile gaming suddenly becoming accessible, the esports and gaming sector rose to mainstream prominence and expanded into a full-fledged industry with development across the board.
The Prime Minister of India is hopeful about the growth of the gaming industry
Over the last five years, gaming has had a massive revolution in India. From multiple top-tier esports tournament organizers hosting international level tournaments to Microsoft launching the next generation of consoles (Xbox Series X|S) in India along with the rest of the world, video games have reached mainstream recognition with a massive industry.
During the Budget 2022 announcement, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi said (translated from Hindi):
"Today in India, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector is growing rapidly. India is one of the top five countries for the mobile gaming market. It is expected that in the next two years, this sector globally will be worth 3 lakh crore INR (400 billion USD approximately). Now tell me, should our youth only have the option of foreign titles, or should India also do something? And that’s why, to give our country the opportunity to develop and innovate in this sector, to show their talents in this sector, there is potential to grow the “Create in India” brand. To make India a hub for global gaming developers and gaming servies, this budget has discussed the formation of a Task Force."
Aside from mobile gaming, India has also had significant developments in other areas. Amazing titles like Bafta-nominated Raji: An Ancient Epic by Nodding Head Studio and in-development Mumbai Gullies by GameEon Studios are being made in the country. Several global video game publishers like Ubisoft and Rockstar have also established their studios in India.
With the establishment of the AVGC Task Force and the government allocating a budget for the growth of gaming in the country, the future certainly seems bright.
