Digital revolution in India has fueled the gaming industry of India tremendously. It was further pushed by the startup culture in which the Indian business world in itself thrived. By 2019, the number of people who play online games in India crossed 300 million and is expected to increase manifold over the years.
It is expected that, by the end of 2021 online gaming market is expected to cross $1 billion. As the internet became cheaper and widely accessible, the number of online gamers increased. A large number of gamers from tier 1 and tier 2 cities were added to it.
The improvements in the penetration of smartphones, low latency, improved bandwidth of the internet have all contributed to this boom. This article will introduce some top gaming startups in India.
Dream 11
Nazara Technologies
Paytm First Games
Games2Win
Moonfrog Labs
99 Games
Octro
JetSynthesys
Hashcube
Mech Mocha
FAQ
Dream 11
Founded in 2012, Dream 11 is one of India’s first mobile based companies that introduced sports like cricket, kabaddi, football, basketball, hockey etc. It is the first Indian company in the gaming industry to gain a unicorn status in 2019. In August 2020, they won the title sponsorship for Indian Premier League 2020. They have also had partnerships with ICC, Pro Kabaddi League and International Hockey Association.
Nazara Technologies
Nazara Technologies has multiple segments like subscription, freemium, e-sports and skill-based gaming was founded by Nitesh Mittersain in 1999. They render services to over 64 countries. It has been on a steady growth path and it has acquired many companies like NODWIN Gaming, Sportskeeda etc. on its way. Today it has more than 100 million users and is planning to go public.
Paytm First Games
Earlier known as Gamepind, Paytm First Games is a joint venture between Paytm and Ali baba’s AGTech holdings. It caters to a wide variety of games and has over 45 million players on board. From their launch in 2018, today they have reached their zenith as e-gaming witnesses its boom in the industry. They have also partnered with Esports.
Games2Win
Based in Mumbai, it is one of the world’s largest mobile game publishers with more than 175 million app downloads. Founded in 2005, they offer ad and social networks for games apart from being a traditional gaming platform. They have over 15 million users every month. Their games are available across Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.
Moonfrog Labs
This online gaming startup was a result of the sweat and blood of a group of friends who were colleagues in 2013. Their card based game named Teen Patti Gold became very popular since its launch itself with more than 20 million downloads. This startup launched an online game that was based on the Bollywood actress Alia Bhat.
It was India’s first narrative adventure game. They did not stop with that. They also launched India’s first war strategy game after the popular movie Bahubali.
99 Games
It is an Udupi based game company that was launched in 2008 by Rohit Bhat. Their first game WordsWorth became a hit with more than 1 million downloads among Apple users. From developing casual games for iOS, today they have expanded to Windows and Android.
In 2013, they came across a great opportunity to develop a game based on a Bollywood movie - Dhoom 3. The success it garnered opened numerous opportunities for 99Games. They subsequently developed 20 more such games. Two of them were based on movies like Fan and Sultan.
Octro
The mastermind behind the famous games Indian Rummy and Tambola House was launched in the year 2006. They introduced the concept of productivity along with gaming in India. Their games are available in various forms and are tailor made to fit both mobile phones and tablets. This Delhi based company has even received a $15 million funding from Sequoia Capital.
Avantika Bhardwaj
JetSynthesys
It is a game development company that was founded in 2014 by Rajan Navani. They are part of the larger Jet Line Group, a company which has established their band in various fields like fintech, digital media etc.
They are pioneers in the field of celebrity based gaming experience. A few of their games are Sachin Saga Cricket Champions, Being Salman, and Bajrangi Bhaijan. They continue to expand and explore newer avenues of gaming like VR games. They have already launched the VR version of Sachin Saga Cricket Champions.
Hashcube
From being a simple website that lets users play sudoku online, Hashcube has developed into one of the top gaming startups in India. It was launched in 2008 by Deepan Chakravarthy and Ramprasad Rajendra. Available on iOS App Store, Google Play app or on Facebook, they have expanded their range to games like Sudoku Quest, Gummy Pop and DotGame. Their Sudoku Quest is one of the most popular game sites to come out of India with more than 2 million players.
Rishabh Rathi
Mech Mocha
Mech Mocha was founded by Arpita Kapoor and Mohit Rangaraju in 2015. Their aim was to make gaming accessible and comprehensible in the tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
They have a variety of games like Ludo, carrom, cricket and knife rain to their credit. They have created a vernacular gaming platform for their users. Their mobile app is called Hello Play. Their growth has been so commendable that they have attracted investors like Accel, Blume Ventures, Shuwei Capital etc.
Other Indian Gaming Startups
- PlaySimple Games
- Rolocule
- Zapak
- Deftouch
- Gameberry Labs
FAQ
How many gaming companies are there in India?
There are over 400 gaming companies in India as of 2021.
What is the future of gaming industry in India?
The gaming industry in India is bright in terms of revenue. According to Delloite, the CAGR of the gaming sector is expected to grow by 40% to $2.8 billion by the year 2022.
Which is the biggest gaming company in India?
Octro Inc. is one of the India's biggest Gaming company which has developed famous games like Indian Rummy and Tambola House.
Author: Anagha S
Source : https://startuptalky.com/top-gaming-startups-india/
Date : 2021-08-09T05:30:00.000Z