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India’s largest telecommunication service provider, Reliance Jio has entered into a partnership with SEGA, a Japanese game developer. As a result, Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage 3 would be available to Jio users in India, via JioGames and JioFiber. Read along to know more.
The games would be available via JioGames Store
The JioGames stores come pre-installed in Jio devices such as JioPhone, JioFiber and the set-top-boxes. As mentioned earlier, the game would be available to JioFiber users first, and then on other Jio branded devices. However, from the nature of this partnership, it is clear that Reliance Jio wishes to step into the Indian gaming industry. Both the titles are classics from SEGA and would be available soon.
Streets of Rage 3 is a linear, side-scrolling game with a vintage look of the 1990s’ games. Published and developed by Sega in 1994. Similarly, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is another classic video game. Both of them were a success when launched, and reminds me of how far technology has come, in terms of graphics generations and providing complex controls to the player. Besides, both the JioFiber box and JioPhone currently do not have enough power to process complex and latest mobile video games.
The Indian gaming industry has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. An EY-FICCI report states that revenue generated from the gaming industry in the country would hit a whopping Rs. 15,500 crores by the end of 2023, which is double what it was in 2020. A major contributing factor to this rise is the ongoing pandemic. People are forced to stay at home and depend upon internet-based services such as OTT platforms and video games.