India is becoming a development hub for games, opening up job opportunities in the sector.
Currently, close to 23,000 gaming-based job openings are available, with salary packages ranging from Rs 3 lakh to a little over Rs 40 lakh, according to specialist staffing firm Xpheno. UBISOFT, 99Games, GSN, Moonfrog Labs, EA, Nazara Technologies, Octro and Dream 11 are some of the big names that are hiring. In India, around 200 startups serve various game-related production markets.
Skills are required in the entry, mid and mid-to-senior level positions, Xpheno data showed.
Fantasy sports, real-money betting and casual games are in demand. Fintech and e-commerce companies, too, are adding gaming elements to enhance user engagement.
India — among the largest markets for game downloads among emerging economies — is set to grow the game development market sharply, Xpheno says.
“As games of the future are set to get bigger, deeper, realistic and immersive, one can expect them to be powered by artificial intelligence, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) among other emerging technologies,” it said.
Investments from big firms including Alibaba, Tencent, Nazara and Youzu have led to rapid growth of the sector.
Most smartphone users spend an average of one hour on gaming content, according to industry data. This, in turn, has led to the creation of a large gaming ecosystem with global gaming products now being made in India.
Xpheno says professionals with AR or VR app development and unity game development skills will be in great demand this year in India.
“The increasing consumption of gaming by consumers and enterprises has increased the gaming talent demand by over 50% in a year’s time and doesn’t seem like slowing down,” said Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno.
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