Karachi, August 3, 2023: Google’s Think Apps, the largest offline event focused on apps and games, was successfully held in Lahore, Pakistan.
The event saw more than 500 developers, alongside business and industry leaders from all around the country, coming together to learn how to elevate Pakistani-made apps and games to the global market.
The event follows the success of Think Games and Gaming Growth Lab, both held for the first time in Pakistan last year. These initiatives brought together over 1,600 developers and nurtured 50 early-stage gaming studios to compete on the international stage. Additionally, Google supported over 5,000 Cloud developers and more than 3,000 Android developers through community-led programs like Cloud Seekho S5 and Android Seekho S2.
Pakistan has been making significant strides in the global gaming and app market. The country’s position in the international app economy has substantially improved over the years, jumping from 27th in 2018 to 16th in 2023 in terms of app downloads. In 2022 alone, apps developed in Pakistan were downloaded a remarkable 4 billion times worldwide, showcasing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% from 2018 to 2020. Furthermore, in 2022, a total of 65 apps from 24 local developers reached the top 10 rankings in the gaming and apps categories on both the Play Store and App Store.
To further empower Pakistani studios and developers and unlock digital opportunities, Google has expanded its support for the apps industry in Pakistan through Think Apps. The program aims to provide in-depth knowledge and global trends to local developers and is built on three unique focus areas:
1. Build for Quality: Developers are inspired to understand the importance of creating high-quality games that boast strong gameplay and creative design. Game quality plays a crucial role in determining success, as it allows developers to build games that offer engaging experiences and sustainable performance for users.
2. Build for Profitability: This area helps developers learn how to utilize the right Google AI-powered ad solutions to enhance profitable growth, acquire new users, and expand their reach globally.
3. Build for Sustainability: Enabling developers to stay ahead of competition by keeping up with trends, creating competitive advantages, and ensuring long-term success for their apps.
Farhan S. Qureshi, Google’s Director for Pakistan, expressed the company’s commitment to invest substantially in nurturing Pakistan’s developer ecosystem. He believes that Pakistan has the potential to become a significant player in shaping the future of the global app economy. He stated, “I’m confident that Think Apps 2023 will enable even more local developers to create great games and apps, supercharge their growth, and scale globally with Google AI-powered solutions.”
Hazel Mobile Group, one of Pakistan’s leading game development companies, has already adopted Google’s AAA (Android, AdMob, and Ads) Growth Framework. This strategic move has resulted in the development of more than 100 games and apps, creating over 200 jobs in Pakistan and exceeding 2 billion app downloads worldwide.
Waqas Ahmed, Chief Technology Officer of Hazel Mobile, praised Google’s support, saying, “Google has been helpful in providing us with dedicated support, sharing the tools and insights needed to shape up our long-term thinking, and guiding us in optimizing our growth strategy.”
With Google’s continuous commitment to nurturing Pakistan’s app development industry through initiatives like Think Apps, Pakistani developers are poised to thrive in the global market, showcasing their creativity and innovation to the world.
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