Meta's India MD Sees Gaming Play A Billion Dollar Role In India's Economic Surge

At Meta's first gaming summit in Mumbai, Sandhya Devanathan, the company’s India managing director, spotlighted the gaming industry as a key player in India’s journey towards becoming an $8 trillion economy.

What Happened: With projections showing India could have 641 million gamers, gaming emerges not just as a pastime but as a pivotal economic driver, potentially creating 2,50,000 jobs by 2025.

Meta’s inaugural gaming event in Mumbai was more than just talk; it was about showcasing the gaming industry’s capacity to contribute substantially to the economy. According to Devanathan, the gaming ecosystem could be valued at around $7.5 billion by 2025, underlining the sector’s potential for growth and even for becoming an export-oriented segment of the economy.

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Doubling down: Moreover, Meta is keen on fostering this burgeoning sector, with a significant portion of its investments aimed at empowering creators, businesses, and individuals on its platforms. Insights from GWI highlight that 90% of gamers discovering new games via social media do so through Meta, particularly via Reels, positioning it as a leading discovery platform.

Arun Srinivas, Meta’s director of ads business in India, added that the country ranks second globally in game downloads, with over 15 billion, indicating a rapidly expanding user base.

Meta’s innovative AI tools are also enhancing gaming companies’ marketing precision, improving customer acquisition costs and ad spend returns significantly. The firm’s cross-platform capabilities, especially with Instagram and Facebook’s unified ad system, are proving lucrative, doubling click-to-message ad revenues in India year-on-year.

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