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Asia and MENA games market expected to hit $100bn by 2028

Niko Partners report also says region generated $85.5 billion in 2023

The Asia, Middle East, and North Africa (MENA) games market increased 4.6% year-on-year to $85.5 billion in 2023, and is expected to rise to $97.1 billion by 2028, according to a new report by Niko Partners.

The study covers China, India, East Asia (Japan and Korea), Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) markets.

The report suggests that India is set to add another 277 million gamers by 2028, accounting for 72% of all new gamer additions in Asia and MENA. India will have more gamers (731 million) in 2028 than China has day, it added.

Elsewhere, the Asia and MENA region accounted for 58% of global player spending on mobile games in 2023, while it made up 50% of global player spending on PC.

The report also estimates that there will be nearly two billion players in the Asia and MENA market by 2028, up from 1.6 billion in 2023. The average gaming hours per week in Asia has also increased 36.2% year-on-year.

"Asia and MENA remain critical in the global games market, and drivers to the growth in these regions include localisation, increase in participation by female gamers, government support for esports, growth of out-of-app monetisation of mobile games, and rising spending power," said CEO of Niko Partners Lisa Hanson.

"In order to gain meaningful access, companies must get to know the local market realities and clearly understand the context behind the data they use for their strategic planning."

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Sophie McEvoy avatar
Sophie McEvoy: Sophie McEvoy is a Staff Writer at GamesIndustry.biz. She is based in Hampshire and has been a gaming & entertainment journalist since 2018.
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