Mobile Games, Cricket, and Blockchain — hitting the Indian market’s sweet spot
The rise in the adoption of smartphones in India has meant unprecedented growth in digital gaming which is rapidly growing into a multi-billion dollar industry in the country. Data shows that the number of gamers in India will grow from 120 million in 2016 to 310 million by 2021.
As yet, however, very few games have been created specifically for an Indian audience, and international titles (Clash of Clans and Candy Crush, for example) completely dominate the scene. For us, the Indian market is particularly interesting because India is where two of our fiercest passions come together: mobile games and… cricket.
A booming games market
First, mobile games. Globally, India is the largest market for Google Play downloads and has the highest estimated growth for handsets — expected to rise from 337 million in 2018 to 491 million in 2022.
In the words of the Minister of State for Electronics and IT at CII’s International Conference on the Indian Gaming Industry: “Currently valued at USD 890 million, the Indian gaming industry is projected to grow at annual growth rate in double digits.”
A national passion
Second, cricket. Cricket is India’s most popular sport — and not just popular, but huge. It’s as big as football is in Brazil, with cricketers being among the most revered personalities in the country. The Economist writes: “To outsiders, the magnitude of Indians’ love for cricket is as incomprehensible as its feverish intensity.”
To put this into context: the Indian Premier League (IPL) was valued at $5.3 billion in 2017 and industry data shows that in 2018 the eight teams participating in the IPL spent $94 million to buy 169 players, compared with $14 million for 66 players in 2017.
The combination of these two elements makes India the perfect place for Stick Sports’ latest project. As one of the games industry’s leading providers of mobile sports games, with over 100k downloads achieved on launch day by our most recent release, Stick Cricket Super League (currently the highest rated cricket game on iOS and Android), we are excited to play in this field.
By targeting the eager Indian market and meeting the Indian audience at the crossroad of mobile games and cricket, we will place ourselves as the market-leading publisher in mobile games at a time of unprecedented growth in mobile games revenues in India.
But that’s not all. There’s one other thing we share with India, in terms of new passions and interests…
The blockchain revolution
Blockchain is not only on the verge of disrupting the international games industry, but is also about to explode in India — a revolution that will encompass a variety of sectors. Last week, the Indian Government announced they are building a Blockchain District which will function as an incubator for blockchain startups and companies. The announcement came right after the International Blockchain Congress that took place in Hyderabad on August 3rd and 4th — which was another government-backed event organised by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Government of Telangana, the Government of Goa, and Nucleus Vision. It’s also worth mentioning that Fintech Valley Vizag, an initiative launched by the government of Andhra Pradesh in 2016, has recently launched a Startup Market Connect to bring together high-potential startups.
Stick Sports is looking forward to ride the wave of the ever-expanding Indian blockchain scene by bringing in a new title in our Stick Cricket franchise, which will be blockchain-enabled.
Blockchain will have a fundamental impact on what it means for players to own in-game items. Assets like bats or balls, that players work hard to earn or create, will have real-world value. Players will be able to personalise them, trade them, sell them for actual money. They will be able to do whatever they choose with them — inside of the game and out.
This is a massive revolution for the games industry — and we are excited to be among the first to be part of it. It will become possible for our players to get rewarded beyond their in-game experience and to derive real-world value for the investment they have made in playing our games. For us, this is invaluable.
Intrigued? Sign up.
Our new game will be launched in April 2019, coinciding with the start of the Indian Premier League season, and it will hit the sweet spot at the crossroad of mobile games, cricket, and blockchain in India — bringing unprecedented value to the Indian market.
With 450,000 daily active users, a 55% day one retention rate and over 70 million downloads across both iOS and Android platforms, we are placing ourselves at the forefront of this dawning era of mobile sports games powered by blockchain technology. Our cricket games dominate the charts in cricket-playing nations and our tennis games have topped the sports charts in 120 countries. We’re ready to take on this new challenge.
Full details will be included in our forthcoming White Paper, so sign yourself up to stay informed and to get in the game.
About the Author
Paul Collins is the founder and CEO of Stick Sports Ltd. With a background in commercial management and a deep understanding of marketing, finance and the design process, he is the driving force behind Stick Sports’ strategy and innovation. Paul has more than 15 years’ experience in the games industry and was among the first to recognise the early potential of mobile gaming, as well as being a pioneer in free-to-play game mechanics. He founded his first games company in 2004, an advergaming agency that designed and launched more than 50 web games and campaigns for brands and media platforms. In 2006 he went on to launch Stick Sports, with the aim of building a global niche in casual sports games.
Paul believes that the next natural step for the games industry lies in giving players real game-asset ownership. His vision is to introduce the benefits of blockchain tech to gamers through a rebooted version of Stick Cricket, with a focus on maintaining all the fun and playability that characterises the franchise.
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