India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) Kicks Off Its 15th Annual Edition in Hyderabad
Day 1 of IGDC witnessed engaging panel discussions, covering various topics in the gaming industry. These discussions featured experts from the University of Southern California, Games for Change, MobilityWare, and other gaming professionals.
The gaming world has its eyes on HICC Hyderabad as the three-day India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) has returned in its 15th annual avatar. This high-octane event has attracted over 4,000 attendees and is set to feature 200+ speakers and 125 hyperactive sessions over the next three days. The IGDC expo boasts over 100 gaming companies showcasing their latest games and products.
Special sessions by conference partners, including Unreal Developer Day, Xbox Discovery Day, Unity Dev, and Google Dev, are running concurrently, offering gaming enthusiasts a plethora of opportunities to delve into their favorite titles.
The conference started with the unveiling of the 'Lumikai State of India Gaming report FY23' in collaboration with Google. The report, presented by Salone Sehgal and Justin Shriram Keeling, Founding General Partners of Lumikai, predicts that the Indian gaming market will reach a valuation of $7.5 billion by FY28. The report revealed several intriguing insights, highlighting the significant growth the industry has experienced in recent years:
- India witnessed 15.4 billion gaming downloads in FY23, underscoring the robust demand for games in the country.
- India now boasts over 568 million gamers, which accounts for more than 50% of all Indian internet users.
- The number of paying gamers has reached 140 million, showing a remarkable 17% YoY increase.
- The industry is poised for a 20% CAGR, mainly driven by in-app purchases in casual and mid-core games and growing in-game advertising revenues.
- The age bracket of 18-30 years represents 50% of gamers, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 60:40.
- Gamers from non-metro cities have increased from 57% in FY22 to 66% in FY23.
- UPI is the preferred payment method for 62% of users when purchasing games.
Rajesh Rao, Chairman of IGDC, stated, "The Lumikai State of India Gaming Report released today at IGDC 2023 shows that the Indian gaming industry generated $3.1 billion in revenue in FY23 and is on track to reach $7.5 billion by FY28." The report's findings reflect the substantial growth of the Indian gaming market, with the number of gamers surging to 568 million in 2022-23, up from 507 million the previous year.
Interestingly, the report highlights the significant participation of women in the gaming community, constituting 41% of the total. Moreover, 66% of gamers hail from non-metro regions, emphasizing the democratization of gaming experiences across the country.
Mr. Nitish Mittersain, Jt. MD & CEO of Nazara Technologies, expressed his delight at Nazara's IGDC sponsorship and announced their publishing division's launch, inviting Indian developers to pitch their games for potential investments.
Day 1 of IGDC witnessed engaging panel discussions, covering various topics in the gaming industry. These discussions featured experts from the University of Southern California, Games for Change, MobilityWare, and other gaming professionals.
The IGDC Investor-Publisher Connect 2023, another highlight of the conference, attracted over 100 applicants for interactions with more than 45 investors and publishers. It offered masterclasses in pitch decks and investments.
IGDC focuses on AI, Web3, Art and Design, Technology, Production, Business and Product Management, Applied games, emerging trends, and career opportunities this year. Round tables involving industry, government representatives, academia, and other policymakers, led by industry bodies such as Invest India, Start-up India, AIGDF, Primus Partners, MESC, and the Consortium of Game Developers, are also a part of the conference.
The Build Your Own Game (BYOG) game jam, India's oldest annual game jam, had game developers building games within a limited timeframe based on specific themes.
The 15th IGDC is powered by Unreal Engine, with Nazara Technologies as the diamond sponsor, KRAFTON India as the platinum sponsor, MIXI, Inc as the Gold Sponsor, and the Government of Telangana as the State sponsor. Google Cloud and Unity are on board as Silver Partners, with Prytania Media as the Experience Partner and Reliance Games as the co-sponsor of the After Party. Microsoft Xbox and Winzo are bronze sponsors, and the Government of the United Kingdom is the Country Partner. Arsht-Rock Atlantic Council serves as the awards partner, and Lakshya Digital is the diversity and inclusion partner, with Peak XV as the Speaker Lounge Sponsor. Elevation Capital, TapNation, Audiomob, Payoneer, 88Games, Adjust, Agora, NCore Global, Liftoff, Moloco, SocialPeta, and RedApple Tech are among the associate sponsors, while Funcell, Apptweak, and Yesgnome support the event as supporting partners.
