Mobile gaming to become big business in India
Monday, 06 December 2004, 20:30 IST
Printer Print Email Email
MUMBAI: Mobile gaming is not just about fun in India. A handful of technology companies are planning to transform the country into a global hub for generation of gaming content, raking in millions of dollars. With India witnessing an explosive growth in the mobile phone users' base, analysts say generation of gaming content for the domestic as well as overseas clients may well become the next big thing after outsourcing of IT services. The mobile phone users base swelled to a staggering 44.51 million at the end of October, not only making it one of the fastest growing markets globally but also exceeding the number of fixed-line phone users in the country. "With half a dozen major developers, along with a variety of start-ups, we expect India's influence to grow in the evolving mobile gaming sector," said Clint Wheelock, director of US-based tech industry research firm In-Stat/MDR. "India has a fast-growing wireless subscriber base of its own, and its high-quality and cost competitive software industry is well positioned to be a key global player in gaming content," Wheelock told IANS in an e-mailed response. According to In-Stat/MDR, the Indian mobile gaming market will generate $26 million in revenue in 2004 and $336 million by 2009. The Indian mobile gaming industry is presently in its infancy, with half a dozen major game developer companies and four service providers offering games to their subscriber bases. Currently, the Indian mobile gaming business represents approximately five percent of the world mobile gaming market. India, Asia's fourth largest economy, however, will be one of the key markets in the next big wave of growth in mobile multimedia, said Wheelock. "It is a multi-million dollar market, both in terms of software development and end-user consumption," he said, adding the number of people playing games on phones will swell during the next few years, generating billions for developers. Agrees K. Rajesh Rao, chief executive officer of Bangalore-based Dhruva Interactive, one of India's leading developers of gaming content. "The cost of developing mobile games is increasing very rapidly. Mobile games today need to run on a variety of devices and across technologies. All this takes up nearly 50 percent of a game's production time and budget," he said. "So the same well known India's advantage - skill and cost - is already beginning to come into play. There are many global players who are outsourcing porting and testing to software services companies or setting up teams in India. "There is also huge opportunity for Indian companies in designing and developing original games for the international market. Today, there are just two or three companies in India who can do this." Dhruva's mobile game Pat Cash Pro Tennis was nominated for the Game of the Year award in Britain. The company said it held the exclusive rights to make games based on one of "Hollywood's biggest franchises" Charlie Chaplin. Rao said his company focuses mainly on full product development and earning money by way of royalties and game sales through operators. "Our products have done extremely well internationally. Our games are available in most countries, and now with Chaplin games we expect to cover all territories including Japan, South Korea and China," he said. "We first started with the international market and only recently entered the Indian market. We have some very special plans for India since it is our home market," said the official. Said Wheelock: "Mobile gaming is not just about fun. It also represents one key element of a rich mobile entertainment experience for consumers, and a lucrative market opportunity for industry players." Industry experts say India's mobile base will cross the 100-million mark by end of the next year. That would make India the third largest cellular market in Asia, after China and Japan.
Source: IANS
siliconindia