Insights into Indian Mobile Gamers and How to Reach Them

Sep, 2022 GAMES
INDIA PLAYS! A look into the gaming habits of Indian mobile gamers and how to reach them
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01
India: Mobile GamingOverview
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
02
India’s Gaming Landscape
03
Gaming Benchmarksfor Advertisers
04
Tips on How to Reach the Gamers
05
Wrapping Up: Playing to theFuture

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The multi-billion dollar Indian mobile gaming industry is at the edge of a major revolution in gaming experience. With hopes of being a digital Garden of Eden, the gaming hype has attracted the eyes of venture capitalists and investors looking to share a piece of the profit pie. With the user interest in the vertical only peaking, the year ahead is set to witness stellar game-changing trends. A key growth driver for the industry will be creation of new genres and integrating multiple game formats on single platforms to attract users who are yet to make their entry into the world of gaming. With the winds of change heralded, MAAS in collaboration with Newzoo looks at the rapidly evolving market of mobile gaming in India. This report analyzes two dominant gaming verticals – Real Money Gaming (RMG) and non-RMG games to present a deep-dive into India’s gaming behavior, preferences, and expectations. The report also covers actionable insights from field experts focusing on the best approach to make the most of the market opportunities in the region.
The report is centered around games in the non-RMG and RMG segments. For the purpose of this report, the scope of research was around the Top 5 categories in non-RMG that are the most popular amongst Indian gamers – Adventure, Battle
Royale, Puzzle, Arcade, and Racing. The top categories in RMG included card-based
games, sports-based fantasy games, and casual RMG. The key insights have been put together using Newzoo’s consumer research and market data, as well as Affle MAAS’ data dashboards, mDMP platform, and key
learnings gathered from running gaming campaigns. These insights have been put together with some insightful findings and trends that help to build a better understanding of the Indian gamer in these categories.
Methodology
*non-RMG data from Newzoo *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard

Source : IBEF, TechCrunch, Redseer Report, YourStory
India Gaming Market & Overview
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The Indian gaming industry saw a sudden growth back in 2016 when Reliance Jio launched
with the promise of cheap data charges and gave an opportunity for everyone to take
to mobile gaming. Until now, while gaming was popular in the country, it took centerstage
in 2020 when the pandemic brought people indoors and mobile game downloads saw
a huge spike. Add to this, the rising popularity of real-money gaming (RMG) or fantasy
gaming apps has everyone making the most of the opportunity to entertain themselves
while earning big rewards.
Gaming Trivia 1
25% of the downloads for PUBG was attributed to India with over 50 million active users per month. The hugely popular game eventually faced a ban in 2020 when over 300 Chinese origin apps were banned by the Indian government.
Gaming Trivia 2
After PUBG, Krafton’s battle royale game Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) was launched in 2021 and went to over 100 million users in the last one year. The game also faced a recent ban by the Indian government and was delisted from the app stores.
Gaming Trivia 5
In 2021, the Real Money Gaming segment contributed over 50% to industry revenue of INR 101 billion.
Gaming Trivia 4
Mobile games by Indian publishers clock an
impressive average of 525,000+ downloads per game.
RMG NON RMG
Gaming Trivia 3
Domestic gaming industry is set to contribute 10000-12000 direct or indirect jobs in India by 2023.

India Gaming Market & Overview
Source : Newzoo, Statista, TechCrunch
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US $2.2 Billion
India Gaming MarketRevenue 2022
373 Million
Online Gamers 2022
91%
of gamers playon mobile
New User Base Growth Y-o-Y
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
250
200 150
100 50 0
IN Millions
Revenue Growth Y-o-Y
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
400
300
200 10050
0
IN Millions USD
Expected Avg. Revenue Per User Y-o-Y
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
1.5
.1
0.5 0
IN USD
Market Opportunities for Gaming App Marketers

Voices
Rati Mehra
Associate Director – Sales I MAAS India

5
`
Real money gaming has been one of the unique segments to
observe as even with the changes in the adoption pattern, there’s
an underlying uncertainty due to restrictions and government regulations. Yet, there’s not only massive enthusiasm, but also growth opportunities for advertisers to grow their user base.
When it comes to performance advertising of real money gaming,
card-based game advertisers (rummy and poker) have always
been performance centric vs scale-hungry. But in 2022, given the global financial downturn, we have observed even greater
conversation around understanding and focusing more on the down-the-funnel metrics and meeting ROI goals sooner. It’s
important for advertisers to not restrict themselves to one single
channel and know which channel can offer what returns depending on your KPIs. Keep an open mind to explore new channels. Don’t stop digging for gold mines.
We are at a unique standpoint where the dynamics of the Indian
gaming industry are very interesting for experts in the field. I am
also excited to look at how the industry will further shape up with
the innovations in eSports, NFTs and Metaverse. There’s a massive
playground (no pun intended!) for both users and advertisers
– and as app growth experts, we are looking forward to charting
the success stories together!

Gender Split
RMG Segments
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Adventure
35% I 65%
Battle Royale
32% I 68%
Racing
34% I 66%
Puzzle
46% I 54%
Arcade
41% I 59%
*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
55%
45%
Male
Female
62%
38%
Male
Female
Non-RMG Segments
FEMALE MALE

Exploring India’s Gaming Landscape Top Genres on Mobile Devices
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Gaming has long been associated with improvements in mood and stress relief. Mobile
gaming apps account for 86% of the total gaming apps in 2021, according to data by IBEF.
Mobile-first gaming genres have grown 1.7X faster than other gaming segments. The COVID-19
pandemic and subsequent lockdown further pushed more users to take to mobile gaming
as people were stuck inside their homes. New user behaviors have emerged with the rise
in Indian gaming studios releasing exciting new titles. Alongwith the rise in disposable income
and changing work culture that is predominantly moving towards a hybrid routine, we are likely to see further change in of mobile gaming segments among Indian users.
*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
Tracing Gaming Behaviors Across Popular Sub-Segments
Adventure Battle
Royale
Puzzle Sports
Based
Gaming
Casual RMG
Arcade Racing
Card
Games
`
Non-RMG Segments RMG Segments

Generation Split for RMG & Non-RMG*
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India’s gaming culture is attracting millennials and genZ between the age group of 13-41 making mobile gaming a popular form of entertainment for India’s youth. Strategy and action fueled genres like battle royale and adventure gaming are top favorites with 55% and 51% gaming audience being in the age group of 13-27 respectively. Approximately 50% of the genZ gaming audience, between 18-27, have also shown active participation in real-money games. Millennials on the other hand are spending their gaming hours on
adventure, puzzle, arcade and racing games with almost 35% of the audience in this similar
age group actively indulging in skill based real-money games.
*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
Gen Alpha GenX
Puzzle Arcade Racing
Puzzle Sports-based fantasy
Card-based RMG
GenZ
Puzzle Sports-based fantasy
Card-based RMG
Battle Royal
Adventure
Millennials
Puzzle Sports-based fantasy
Card-based RMG
Adventure

Reasons to Play
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There are stark differences among user behavior when it comes to understanding their motivation and reasons to play. While for non-RMG segments, it is more about entertaining themselves to fill time, relax and unwind, as well as strategize and overcome challenges.
For RMG segments, this plays out differently as the games are more seasonal. While card-based games find dominance among friends and families for community bonding during festive season, skill-based fantasy games on cricket see a huge uptick during
action-packed cricketing tournaments. Fantasy games have also found an audience among
those players who want to use their skills to earn huge prizes.
*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
RMG Segments
Non-RMG Segments
Jan Feb Mar Apr Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Sports-based fantasy Card-based RMG Casual RMG
Cricket Season Festive Season Year End
Coming up with interesting / creative ways to win / achieve objectives Using tactics and strategic thinking to overcomechallenges
Role playing as if someone or somewhere else Relaxing / unwinding, Feeling adrenaline and excitement Feeling adrenaline and excitement
Building something of your own in a game world

Time Spent (Per Week)*
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*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
*excludes RMG
Adventure
<1 hour 1-2 hour 2-3 hour3-6 hour 6-10 hour 10-15 hour>15 hour 9%
18%
17%
10% 7%
23%
17%
Battle Royale
<1 hour 1-2 hour 2-3 hour3-6 hour 6-10 hour 10-15 hour>15 hour 7%
20%
18% 9%
5%
23%
17%
Puzzle
<1 hour 1-2 hour 2-3 hour3-6 hour 6-10 hour 10-15 hour>15 hour 11%
22%
16% 6%
4%
25%
15%
Arcade
<1 hour 1-2 hour2-3 hour3-6 hour
6-10 hour10-15 hour >15 hour 9%
22%
14% 7%
6%
24%
18%
Racing
<1 hour 1-2 hour2-3 hour 3-6 hour 6-10 hour10-15 hour >15 hour 7%
20%
19% 9%
6%
22%
17%

Voices
Tom Wijman
Lead Games Market Analyst I Newzoo
11
`
India has some unique characteristics compared to other (mobile-first) markets when it comes to its mobile audiences and their gaming behavior. Compared to other markets, mobile gamers in India skew more male and younger, especially for the most popular mobile genres Adventure and Battle Royale. The top 5 genres played among mobile gamers speaks not only of the preferences of mobile players in India, but also of the current overarching trends in
mobile gaming in the region. Engagement is high across the board; even outside playing. Mobile gamers in India seem eager to enjoy gaming video content (live or pre-recorded), with 82% of mobile gamers having done so in the past 6 months. This enthusiasm extends to esports, where 44% of mobile gamers make up part of the esports audience. Teams like Vitality and Galaxy Racer are
even picking up local rosters to compete. A growing online population and a younger-skewing audience makes India an attractive market for esports brands looking to establish a global presence.

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Install to Registration
*Average estimates based on campaign expertise and industry observations. Excludes RMG
*Average estimates based on campaign expertise and analysis
Gaming Benchmarks for Advertisers
Key KPIs
~50%
~25% ~35%
Casual
Card-based RMG Sports-based fantasy gaming
Registration to Deposit
~8% ~12%
Card-based RMG Sports-based fantasy gaming
Retention Rates
D 1
~ 30%
D 7
~ 7%
D 30
~ 3%
D 1
~ 25%
D 7
~ 5%
D 30
~ 1%
Casual/Hypercasual
Mid Core

*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
*for visual representation only; diagram not to scale
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The Indian gaming community
shows a fair overlap in how they
divide their time among the variety of genres across the broad non-RMG and RMG categories revealing their
multifaceted interests. The
audience overlap extends beyond
the gaming segment, spilling
over to verticals that further the
gaming experience.
Opt for programmatic targeting among cross-interest audience groups. Unified audience platforms can recognize and reduce overlaps in the UA journey to maximize unique user reach.
Pro Tip
Audience Overlap and Personas Top App Categories Favored by Indian Gamers
Arcade
Casual RacingBattle Royale
Puzzle
Adventure
RMG : 13%
Non-RMG
gamers
interested in
Music
Streaming Digital
Payments Dating &
Lifestyle Shopping Entertainment

Voices
Minhaz Hazarika
Director – Digital Marketing I Gameskraft

14
`
Tier 2 and 3 locations have been consistent growth driver for the Indian gaming scene.
Be it the smartphone adoption or the layering of digital
micro payments through UPI have helped India to be the fastest-emerging gaming market in terms of new paying users. I am super excited to follow three big
trends that are emerging – First is the evolution of social
layering to arrest user retention. Secondly, leveraging
influencer-led content to aid discovery as well as quality
acquisition. And finally, seamless knitting of monetisation
into non-RMG category which is currently roughly at 7-8% of paying base. In the pursuit of user acquisition to maintain player liquidity, brands need to look beyond vanity metrics
into actual holy trinity of acquisition which is CAC, ARPU
and Retention. With the rise of new gamers as well as marketing networks, brands also needs to be vigilant
about acquisition fraud which not only impacts quality
but also erodes a larger chunk of marketing dollars without any ROAS.

India’s Gamers: How Advertisers Can Reach Them
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With 61% of all online gameplays being on smartphones, mobile marketing will be key to
scaling app user base and average revenue per user. India’s gaming user acquisitions show
an interesting trend in how the northern and southern parts view casual and real money
gaming. For RMG, the southern states consistently score over north Indian territories in terms
of return on marketing spends.
*non-RMG data from Newzoo; people aged 10-50 who have played mobile games in the last 6 months and live in residential developed areas. *RMG data from MAAS campaign expertise and internal analysis of data dashboard
For gamers, one of the gratification
to play games comes from getting
a sense of community and connecting
with players in their language. Using
vernacular creatives in ad strategy
can help to open doors to reach to
a wider, indigenous user base.
Vernacular & Success Stories
Widen your reach with
cross-interest targeting
on premium shopping,
social, music and other
platforms to acquire
your next high LTV gamers.
Pro Tip 1
Affinity Targeting
Pro Tip 2
Programmatic Targeting
Very High
Medium
Low

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Playable ads, short-video ads and creatives in a variety of sizes give app marketers the
flexibility to reach new gamers across multiple channels and opt for strategic ad placements
in user’s phones.
Mix in the Ad Format s
Pro Tip 4
Advancements in app advertising technology
gives transparent account of audience overlap rate across channels. Optimizing channels to reduce the overlap increases
unique user reach and considerably reduces
ad spend leakages.
Optimize Channels to Reduce Overlap
Pro Tip 3

17
Campaign diversification can significantly increase the quality and scale of gaming app
UA campaigns. Using technologies like precision
and hyperlocal targeting, dayparting and utilizing
multiple channels without spreading the campaign
too thin can deliver good conversions throughout
the funnel.
Data Backed Campaign Diversification
Pro Tip 5
Each supply channel comes with its unique advantages and certain disadvantages. On the list of cons, supply channels can be expensive, have high CPMs or take time to deliver results. A simple rule of thumb to judge a channel’s efficiency is to measure the overall quality of the users delivered. Channels delivering high install volumes may not always be the right choice to gain high LTV users. To reach the right audience, keep testing newer channels and have a healthy mix of sources to reduce dependability on a single source. Unified audience platforms can be evaluated as an option to simplify channel testing and campaign optimization.
Be Open to Testing Newer Supply Channels
Pro Tip 6
With the right mobile marketing platform, app marketers can avail ML and AI based insights into how their campaign channels and creatives are performing. Granularanalysis will be significant in crafting optimized campaigns to scale mobile marketing ROAS.
Real-Time, Granular Measurement
Pro Tip 4

Voices
Palash Agarwal
Associate Director – Account Management I MAAS India

18
`
There’s massive headroom for growth in the Indian mobile gaming market on the back of affordable smartphones and faster digitization aided by the
pandemic. This also represents an exciting road ahead
for gaming companies specially who are able to decode
and adapt to the habits of mobile-first Indian gamer.
However, monetization still remains a challenge for non-RMG segments, due to a small proportion of spending users and hence dependent on advertising. In addition to exploring the right user acquisition channels and effective creative strategies, it will also
be important for gaming advertisers to evolve in-game
advertising experiences without hampering user interest.
We believe that deeper campaign and cohort insights
are essential here to understand user engagement
better at every step and keep a tab on when to optimize
for success.

Wrapping Up: Playing to the Future
19
The insights gathered from Newzoo and MAAS’ observations in the country’s gaming habits
suggest a rapidly maturing audience segment that is yet to be tapped to their potential.
Today, India’s gaming culture has become the common ground connecting generations.
This poses an interesting time for gaming app marketers.
A key user trend to observe in the year ahead is the segment evolving to become the new
‘cool hangout spot’. Developments in AR and VR tech and the buzz around metaverses
hosting larger than life events has propelled the gaming ecosystem to a digital paradise enticing everyone from GenX to Gen Alpha. Gaming is rapidly proving to be one of the answers to India’s puzzle of retaining and
nurturing tech savvy talent in the country. The effect of staying at home provided gamers
the opportunity to explore gaming professionally. The sharp increase in live streaming, eSports and content creation has boosted the community to make gaming a viable
source of income. A decent gamer can easily earn between INR 40000 – 70000 per month
through streams, tournaments and brand partnerships. The future of gaming in India will see the relationship of brands and gamers evolve to create a sustainable ecosystem empowering both sides.

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With the emergence of play-to-earn (P2E) models, games based on blockchain, crypto and NFTs are gathering steam. According to a report, India ranks 1st for P2E gaming adoption among 26 countries. Many of the popular consumer brands in India are already entering Web3 by launching their game-related NFTs.
Gaming in the times of Web3 International players make big bet in IndiaIndia is the next hotspot for huge international gaming companies. While
big Western gaming studios have already entered and found huge success
in the Indian market, there’s also a keen interest from sports and casino-based
gaming companies who are entering the market to take a share of the pie
of the hugely relevant fantasy gaming users. How this will shape up amidst
the government regulations will be interesting to watch.
As super apps culture is taking over in India, multiplayer gaming platforms/companies are not far behind. Brands are consolidating their
offerings and clubbing card games/ fantasy games/ casual games together under one app for a seamless user experience. This allows the brands to help target wider audiences of all age groups and hence have a wider scope of monetization.
Gaming malls
What’s to Come

Voices
Saurabh Gupta
Co-Founder I
Tamasha
21
`
In India, the gaming industry is yet to cross over the nascent stage and
a lot of action is yet to happen. Skill-based gaming, for one, has emerged
as a major category in India’s gaming segment. In the next few years eSports, play-to-earn & pay-to-earn models are poised for disruption
in the country. eSports has matured with an amazing growth of professional
gamers, streamers & influencers. Gaming creators are the new stars of the country’s promising creator economy. With the adoption of digital payments in the smaller towns, the focus for a monetizable gaming user base has shifted from Tier I cities. It’s comparatively easier to scale quality user base in smaller locations,
even though their spending capacity is limited. A strong referral model
is critical for UA in casual games. The segment has low ARPU and UA is driven more by trend and virality. The economics of casual games
makes sense at scale and it’s important to keep the CAC low by innovating
on acquisition models. Sports-based fantasy games show similar UA peaks heavily impacted by IPL or other popular events. Card-based gaming on the other hand, has a fairly stable demand throughout the year. As one of the fastest growing industries, there is definitely room for growth. The recent political policy changes have opened a gateway of
opportunities for Indian game developers to launch localized and India centric Battle Royale and AAA games.

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About Newzoo
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About MAAS
Affle’s MAAS is a unified audience platform that enables mobile advertisers to acquire quality users at scale, across directly integrated publishers, programmatic platforms, and relevant app recommendations
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