Paytm First Games goes international, eyes expansion in South Asian market

BENGALURU: Paytm’s digital gaming arm, Paytm First Games, is looking to tap South Asian markets and has partnered with Alibaba-owned online marketplace Daraz to launch a new gaming app in Bangladesh - Daraz First Games.

Through a joint venture, both Daraz and Paytm First Games plan to take their digital gaming offerings to users in other South Asian countries including Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

Launched in 2012, Daraz is an online shopping marketplace with 5 million consumers across the region.

Paytm First Games was launched in January 2018 in India as a joint venture with AGTech Holdings Limited, a Chinese gaming and entertainment company. Paytm rebranded the gaming platform to First Games, last year.

The Daraz First Games app is expected to offer more than 100 digital games across different genres that can be played in multiple formats. The app will also include popular games from Paytm First Games’ stack like Ludo, Block Puzzle, Retro Tetris, 3D Highway Racer, Crazy Shooter, Candy Match and Ninja-Duo.

According to the company, some fantasy games will also be included on the platform based on Bangladeshi gamers’ top preferences.

"It is our mission to bring the most engaging and innovative games and experiences to mobile gamers. Mobile gaming has been exploding in the South Asia region and we endeavour to partner with players who share the same mission. We are thrilled to partner with Daraz to launch a world-class gaming experience in Bangladesh and hope to replicate the same success with games like Ludo and eSports," said Sudhanshu Gupta, COO, Paytm First Games.

Gupta added that Daraz will also launch a redemption center, where customers can avail of a variety of services with the points earned by playing games.

"With the launch of Daraz First Games, we are building a platform to offer exciting and immersive games for Daraz users. This platform will enable Daraz to capture the fast-growing mobile games market opportunity in South Asia. I'm confident that the collaboration with Paytm First Games will accelerate DFG's growth in becoming the market leader of the region's gaming industry," said Edouard Gheerbant, chief growth officer, Daraz Group.

Recently, Paytm First Games had said it has more than half a million daily active gamers on the platform, spending anywhere between 32 to 45 minutes playing more than 100 games. In March, when the lockdown to curb covid-19 was announced, Paytm First Games claimed it witnessed over 75,000 new users joining the platform every day. Last month, the company invested in sports community platform, Rooter, participating in the $1.7 million pre-Series A round.