Games people play

Good morning!

Ever since the 4G revolution in 2016, India has seen a meteoric rise in the number of people with smartphones. However, the pandemic has resulted in online gaming emerging as a mainstream entertainment option in the country.

In 2020, online gaming was the fastest-growing segment in India's media and entertainment (M&E) sector. 

Buoyed by a dearth of recreational options in the lockdown, a tech-savvy young population, supply of high-quality games, growing 4G penetration, and expanding digital payment infrastructure, India went from having 250 million gamers in March 2018 to 433 million gamers in June 2020. 

According to a KPMG report, it is projected to have 657 million gamers by FY25. 

In 2020, India saw the world’s second-highest casual gaming downloads (after China) at 7.3 billion (Q1-Q3 2020) or 17 percent of total mobile game downloads globally, according to Sensor Tower. 

According to KPMG, with 5G technology becoming mainstream over the next few years, India is also likely to see a cloud gaming revolution.

The Interview

Being in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) space means production and life has to go on. To ensure uninterrupted manufacturing and a smooth supply of goods amidst the pandemic, FMCG major, Marico, which has popular brands such as Saffola and Parachute, took a slew of measures for its employees across its factories and corporate offices.

In this interview, Harsh Mariwala, Founder and Chairman, Marico talks about emotionally connecting with employees, taking care of their stress and anxieties, prioritising their health over performance, driving growth with the culture of trust, and much more.

Editor’s Pick: 100X Entrepreneur Podcast

Supriya Paul, Co-founder of Josh Talks, says that audiences from Tier II and III cities who do not have access to proper role models, learn from their platform, and work on their own journey.

She started Josh Talks to provide the content to inform and upskill youth in India. Its mission is to address issues faced by the youth concerning jobs, career opportunities, and acquiring skill sets. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Digitising power distribution infrastructure

According to the Economic Survey for 2020-21, transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in the Indian power sector are higher than other countries.

Founded in 2012, Jaipur-based Gram Power is looking to solve this problem by digitising the power distribution infrastructure in India. The startup is building a smart electricity metering system to manage electricity consumption and avoid power losses. Read more.

News & Updates

• Clear (formerly ClearTax) has acquired Y-Combinator-backed B2B payments startup yBANQ in a cash and equity deal, with an aim to accelerate its journey into B2B payments and credit. yBANQ helps businesses with payments collection, reconciliation, and automated bookkeeping.

• B2B commerce unicorn Moglix has acquired Vendaxo, an ecommerce platform for buying and selling of used machinery. Through the acquisition, Moglix said it wants to provide access to high value capital goods at economical prices to manufacturers.

• Matrimony.com announced that it has signed definitive agreements to acquire a 100 percent stake in Boatman Tech Private Limited — the promoters of ShaadiSaga, a Delhi-based online wedding services portal.

• IT major Wipro's philanthropic arm has committed an additional Rs 1,000 crore of grants over and above the Rs 1,125-crore support it had announced in the early days of the pandemic last year, its Founder Chairman Azim Premji said.

• The country’s leading ecommerce marketplace, Flipkart, has eliminated all single-use plastic packaging used across its fulfilment centres in India delivering on its public commitment to move to plastic-free packaging in its own supply chain by 2021.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“In the last five years, on account of the growth in digital infrastructure coupled with the availability of leading titles, India’s online gaming segment is now a serious business with the gaming market being overwhelmingly mobile-first.”

— Satya Easwaran, Partner and Head of Technology, KPMG in India

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