Sony Play Station continues to drive console Gaming sales in India shipping over 96.5% of the devices in 3Q’20

Market likely to see 21% dip in sales in 2020 over previous year owing to poor start due to Covid-19 pandemic

Gurugram – Monday November 9, 2020: In its first India Gaming Console Market Scan report for 3Q (JAS) 2020, techARC today said that in the calendar year 2020, over 42.8k units were shipped during the first three quarters which is 30% less than the volumes of the corresponding period for 2019.  techARC estimates total shipments for calendar year 2020 to cross 72,000 units, which will be 21% less than 2019.

Faisal Kawoosa, Founder & Chief Analyst, techARC while releasing the report said, “While the market for console based gaming has been squeezing over past few years, we feel there is still potential of selling over 100 thousand devices in a calendar year.  The exposure to digital gaming through smartphones along with rising trend of having immersive experience will drive this potential.”

“However, increasingly Microsoft Xbox is losing the grip of the market and Sony’s PlayStation is sweeping the opportunity.  There is definitely scope for a few more brands to foray in the category with value for money proposition,” added Faisal. 

The report advocates Gaming Consoles as a potential product category to be Made in India, which could further expand the market by entering affordable segments.

The 3^rd quarter of CY 2020 saw 13.5% growth YoY making it the first quarter to register growth during the year.  The previous quarters of 1Q and 2Q 2020 saw a declining trend in shipments with the first quarter being the worst performer as it was impacted due to global lock-down affecting the shipments.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 continues to be the star seller with average 92% of gaming consoles being shipped of this model during the first three quarters of 2020. The other two in the top 3 were Sony’s Play Station 4 Pro and Microsoft’s Xbox One S.

Microsoft needs to rekindle the Xbox strategy for India to stay in business as the trend of Play Station becoming the default choice is consolidating all through the quarters.  With the expected release of Play Station 5, Sony is further expected to consolidate the market standing as many users are looking to buy this out during the festive season.

The Average Selling Price (ASP) of Gaming Consoles is continuing to show declining trend. In the first three quarters of 2020, the ASP stood at Rs 33,605 against Rs 35,064 in 2019 and Rs 40,294 in 2018 respectively.  This is going to positively impact the adoption of the gaming device and widen its consumer base.

The report further highlighted that though the gaming is available on multiple devices like Smartphones, Laptops as well as Smart TVs, the dedicated hardware including graphics in Consoles is still offering unparallel experience to the users ranging from professional gamers to the gaming hobbyists.  As the outdoor engagement remains limited due to Covid-19 precautions, more users are expected to invest in console gaming which gives immersive experience to users to engage. 

About the Report: The India Gaming Console Market Scan Report captures market and technology trends of console based gaming on a quarterly basis. The report measures market size, market shares of the players, pricing trends, technology trends and other insights essential for having a deep understanding of the market to formulate strategic and operational plans to achieve the desired goals and objectives, and stand out the competition.

For any research and business queries, please write to research@techarc.net. Media queries can be sent to media@techarc.net.