search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
KAMAGAMES


All aboard The A


Sam Forrest, Director, Global Communications, KamaGames, explains the intricacies of this booming market.


s one of the leading mobile social casino operators in the world, KamaGames is constantly looking to grow and expand its audience


especially in the somewhat untapped, emerging markets such as India. To say India is a booming market


would be an understatement; it was recently cited as one of the fastest- growing major economies in the world, and when looking at gaming – specifically mobile gaming – it’s very easy to see the rapid growth the industry has enjoyed over the past several years. So how has the mobile games market


achieved such significant growth? Simple: just look at how many people have smartphones in the region and your question will be answered. When you look at the number of


mobiles and smartphones in pockets throughout India right now, it’s clear the country is rapidly becoming a massive market for mobile games. In fact, India has over one billion mobile phone subscribers and smartphone ownership is expected to top 530 million this year. The Indian Express reported that, “Two


out of three Indian mobile users – or roughly 433m people – are planning to upgrade their phones this year.” We’ve seen this snowball effect in other regions before as


smartphones become part of everyday life. This, unsurprisingly, is great news for social casino developers. A region’s phone and data access are the two most important


India has over one billion mobile phone subscribers and


“ 58 DECEMBER 2018


“The number of internet users in India is expected to reach 450m to 465m”, claimed a recent report from the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and market research firm IMRB International. The report stated overall





smartphone ownership is expected to top 530 million this year


pillars for social casino (or indeed mobile) gamers. As it happens, India has arguably some of the cheapest phone tariffs in the world. Combine this with the ongoing data price war happening in India, driving the consumers’ cost for 4G down even further and you have an excellent breeding ground for strong and rapid growth. As with most emerging markets, Wi-fi and internet access are also gathering momentum in the country too, in fact,


internet penetration in India is currently around 31 per cent. That means that whilst there is a vast market of internet users, there is still potential for over 300% growth. According to mobile data firm App Annie, the total games


revenues in India, from local and foreign publishers, is estimated to reach as high as $1.1 billion by 2020. This is in part, thanks to a surge in sales of low-cost but powerful smartphones. Like China, India never really fulfilled its potential as a


games console market. But India, doesn’t need consoles (or even high-end gaming PCs) to be a thriving games market. It’s been an interesting several years for mobile gaming with the overall amount of time Indian users spend on mobile games growing sharply in 2016. In 2017 the average time Indian consumers spent on their phones increased again by 50% as we approach the end of 2018, those numbers are expected to continue to climb. So, establishing that the Indian market has grown (and


continues to grow) into a region of opportunity over the last three years is one thing, but to conquer any new market is never without its challenges. Even a game as iconic and universally known as poker cannot just be thrown into a new region without some preparation and cultural understanding as Indian gamers and consumers play and spend differently from those in Europe, Asia, and American. India doesn’t import its culture in the same way that other countries do. Hollywood films and American, European and Japanese video games can easily cross cultural borders and become mainstream hits outside of their home countries, however, that is not such an easy task when they’re exported to India as Indian audiences tend to prefer locally produced pop music, TV and movies. Hollywood films, for instance, can’t compete with the local popularity of Bollywood productions. All of that said, mobile gaming is a relatively clean slate and is accessible and affordable and so it’s not surprising to see it taking off in India.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66