Takeaways

• 90% of the surveyed casual and real money gamers, who discover new games on social media, said they find new games to play and purchase through Meta platforms.

• Nearly half of casual gamers and 43% of Real-money gamers are from non-metro geographies

The Gaming industry is among India’s rising sectors growing rapidly on the back of digital technologies. To further equip these businesses with consumer trends that are influencing gamers in India, today we unveiled findings from a Meta-commissioned study by online insights platform GWI. 

These findings show the impactful role of Meta platforms, especially that of Reels, video ads, and influencers in helping gamers discover and purchase new games. The findings were revealed at Meta’s inaugural Gaming Summit in India, where the role of AI-powered ad tools in driving growth for gaming brands was also highlighted.

“Gaming is a top three vertical for Meta globally and we’re particularly seeing our Advantage+ suite of automated ads drive growth for gaming brands. Equally, as the study reveals, Meta is a leading channel for gamers to discover and purchase new games. Gaming is poised to play a leading role in India’s techade, and we’re thrilled to enable growth opportunities for gaming businesses at different stages of their journey.” – Arun Srinivas, Director and Head of Ads Business for Meta in India

The summit was attended by the country’s biggest Gaming brands that also shed light on the use of innovative cutting-edge technologies such as our AI-powered Advantage+ suite of solutions.

“As a brand that puts innovation and experimentation first, we were keen to use Meta’s Advantage+ App Campaigns. With the help of this automated solution, our customer acquisition cost (CAC) improved by 12%. Today, the majority of our users come from outside the tier-1 and 2 cities and Meta has played a key role in helping us reach sports fans across the country. One of our deepest partnerships was during the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 during which we prioritized testing of new products and measurement. Meta’s marketing science teams helped us measure incremental performance and gave us confidence in running campaigns at scale — that’s the strategy we envision ourselves using for the upcoming IPL 2024 as well.” – Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream Sports.

“We used a combination of AI-powered Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns, partnership ads, and influencer-led creatives that together drove a 123% increase in installs volume along with a 15% decrease in the Cost Per First Time Transaction. We have exciting plans ahead, and we will partner closely with Meta and use new cutting-edge solutions that help us deliver business outcomes in a rapidly evolving ecosystem” – Jaskaran Singh, AVP Growth, Baazi Games

Key Insights from the Meta-Commissioned Study by GWI on Gaming:

Gaming is becoming more prevalent across India: The study revealed that 6 in 10 smartphone gamers game daily, and almost 90% of real-money gamers play real-money games at least weekly. The study also showed that nearly half of casual gamers and 43% of Real-money gamers come from non-metro geographies.

Meta’s role in driving discovery of new games: We play a crucial role in helping gamers discover and purchase new games. More than three out of four casual and real money gamers in India discover new games to play and purchase on social media, and more than 90% of these do so on the Meta platforms, as per the study. Reels, ads, and influencers play a leading role in driving this discovery.

Key moments for Gamers: The festive season and sporting events impact game types played, according to the study. 88% say they’re more likely to switch from playing other real-money games to playing fantasy sports games during tentpole sporting events such as IPL and World Cup.

Technologies that Gamers love: Artificial intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR) are the top three gaming technologies that most interest casual gamers in India.

The evolving technology and customer behaviour have opened countless opportunities for the Gaming industry in India. The insights from the study can empower Gaming brands to build marketing plans that are more likely to connect with gamers and also deliver on key business outcomes.

This survey was conducted in December 2023, with 2,019 respondents aged 18-64 from 75 cities in India.

Audiences

Casual gamers: 1,176 internet users aged 18-64 who have played a video game on a smartphone/tablet, PC/laptop, console or another device in the last month, but have NOT played a real-money game in the last month

Casual smartphone/tablet gamers: 1,026 internet users aged 18-64 who have played a video game on a smartphone/tablet in the last month, but have NOT played a real-money game in the last month

Real-Money gamers: 843 internet users aged 18-64 who have played a real-money game in the last month.

(Source: Meta)