Here's what Infinix India CEO Anish Kapoor has to say about the mobile gaming culture in India.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/ I'M ZION
The Indian mobile gaming sector is at an all-time high. As per various industry reports, the gaming industry is projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2027. Most importantly, India is becoming a mobile-first market, with more than 96.8 percent of gamers playing games on a smartphone or a tablet, as per the India Games Market Report. With that being said, multiple smartphone brands are now eying this development, but one such brand is getting ready to take things up a notch. Yes, we are talking about Infinix. The company is banking big on the mobile gaming segment, which is reflected in its recent launches, including the gaming-centric smartphone Infinix GT 30 Pro. Infinix India CEO Anish Kapoor believes that gaming on a smartphone is no longer a novelty; it has become a lifestyle that many acknowledge.
Anish believes there is a paradigm shift in India's mobile gaming culture. “I think there's a big leap that we are seeing in the gaming trends right now, and how even parents have started to see gaming as one of the options,” he added. He further mentions that it is “no longer just something you do in idle time—it's something people aspire to.”
In the past two to three years, mobile gaming in India has seen unprecedented growth. It is no longer merely a way to kill time but a full-blown cultural phenomenon. He says that parents nowadays endorse gaming as an option, and players aspire to more than just idle entertainment.
The Indian smartphone market is dominated by devices priced under Rs 30,000. "If you look at the overall marketing market data, 90 percent of the phones that are being sold in India are below 30,000,” Kapoor said. He further added that Infinix wants to develop a gaming culture by offering devices that look, feel, and perform like gaming phones without the premium price tag.
Anish Kapoor, CEO, Infinix India
This is also the primary reason why the brand introduced the whole GT lineup. “You don't have to break the bank to get a good gaming device,” he said. “But it's not just about hardware. We've also tuned software to manage heat, stabilise FPS and keep you immersed,” he further added.
The newly launched Infinix GT 30 Pro takes this legacy forward by striking an impressive balance between affordability and capability, making it an ideal choice for gamers and mainstream users. Whether it be pressure-sensitive trigger buttons, a 144Hz refresh rate display, a big vapour cooling system for thermal management, a powerful MediaTek processor, and dedicated gaming accessories, the Infinix GT 30 Pro reiterates the brand's philosophy of providing a whole ecosystem to nurture the aspiring mobile gamers.
What makes Infinix stand out from the rest of the crowd is its ambition to create a dedicated gaming community for those who want to pursue their careers in the mobile gaming industry. Kapoor says that the brand is actively seeking input from gamers to create products specifically designed for them.
“When we say we are making a product, especially for gamers, there's a lot of interaction. Interactions which we do through this community to understand the key requirements: What do they want from the next device? How do they want their device to perform? What are the key things which they look at? So it's not limited to just holding one tournament, but there's a regular engagement, which we do with them, and probably a beta testing kind of thing,” he added.
Kapoor also said that the company is making a lot of efforts to reach Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where 60–70 percent of India's gamers reside. “So we are doing our bit right now to start scaling this up, and we are also seeing how we can make it even better starting from this year. There are a lot of discussions that are going on right now,” he added.
All these investments are surely an expensive affair. However, for Infinix, this is a big, long-term bet for the company. “So I think with an investment point of view, then yes, it is a high investment game, and we will continue to invest. This is because we want to make sure that we are changing the whole gaming culture,” he said.
He further mentions that Infinix is taking a big leap in making the brand a leader in this segment, and the journey will start now. He believes the right time to invest is to ensure they are on the right track. “Normally, no other brand talks about gaming. It's only one of the things. Here we are saying that if you think about gaming, you should think about Infinix,” he further added.
He further mentions that even its budget-centric Note series (Infinix Note 50X) had a powerful processor and a dedicated gaming mode under the Rs 12,000 price segment. “So we created something wherein people, even if they have less money, are looking at an investment of Rs. 10,000 - Rs. 12,000, and it's a journey for them to go from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 20,000 and beyond, so we will be a part of that journey,” he said.
Kapoor's vision for Infinix is unambiguous: to be the first choice for Indian gamers and guide them from their first ₹11,000 gaming experience up to premium flagships. He explained that every new device will embed gaming features, and the brand will continue refining its XOS interface for cleaner, swifter performance. “So anybody who's looking at an overall console-level experience, we will give them an option,” he added.
And it is not just restricted to gaming phones. Infinix plans to bring a whole ecosystem for budding mobile gamers with a cleaner user interface, offering gaming-centric features and top-notch performance, deep involvement in community building, holding gaming tournaments, and more. “We continue to take feedback, evolve ourselves and make sure to deliver the experience which people will love,” Kapoor highlighted.
“We will give them an option from probably Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,000, which is a capable gaming phone, to a very capable GT series, which will probably give them the best of their experience without burning their pocket,” Kapoor added. That said, Infinix is trying to carve out a niche in the mobile gaming industry and build an empire.
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