By: Maleeha Khan
ISLAMABAD: Last week at Google’s Apps Growth Lab Graduation event, Google celebrated 94 Pakistani game and app development studios graduating from the second edition of Google’s App Growth Lab program. Expanding their impact beyond mobile game developers, for the first time in 2023, this initiative included app developer studios and companies eager to accelerate their growth with Google. The total number of studios participating this year was 254, up from 54 last year, showcasing the program’s augmented impact on Pakistan’s app and gaming ecosystem.
The program, which took place from June to September 2023, comprised two pivotal phases: an educational phase followed by an extensive support phase. Building on the success of last year, this edition of the program saw significant enhancements to deliver a more tailored learning experience. Customized training sessions addressed the unique needs of gaming and app developer clients at different stages of their business journeys.
Throughout the program, participating studios had the exclusive opportunity to learn from Google experts across various domains, including Google Ads, AdMob, and Play. Immersive educational workshops and mentoring sessions provided valuable insights, while industry leaders and peers from across the globe shared their expertise on navigating the path from app development to launching apps, and scaling their app business to reach a global audience
Farhan Qureshi, Google Regional Director for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, while addressing the attendees, said, “The rise of Pakistan’s app economy is a story of inspiration for the world. Apps developed in Pakistan were downloaded 4 billion times globally in 2022. Also, in 2022, 65 apps from Pakistani developers reached the top 10 charts in Gaming and Apps verticals on Play Store and App Store.
Pakistani developers, who took the 27th position in terms of global downloads back in 2018, today form the 16th largest developer market by downloads, making Pakistan the fastest growing developer market in the world.”
Ehtisham Malik, Head of Marketing at MicZon who joined the Growth Lab program in 2022, also shared, “The Growth Lab program is an important initiative that will take Pakistan’s gaming industry to the next level.”
“All the information we learned at Growth Lab has been very helpful and relevant to our business. Thank you Google Gaming Growth Lab Pakistan for helping Pakistani developers and publishers!” he added.
Shoaib Ali, CEO of Al Basirr Technologies Private Limited, a 2023 Apps Growth Lab participant, also said, “The impact of the training and support received from Google Apps Growth Lab is reflected in the record growth we have made in the last couple of months. The growth achieved in this short span surpasses what we were able to accomplish in the past six years. For this, we are extremely thankful to the entire Google Apps Growth Lab team for their firm commitment to our success.”
Graduates of Apps Growth Lab can extend their partnership with Google by applying for the Google App Acceleration Program (GAAP), where they can continue to receive support from Google specialists. Various former GAAP participants are now priority Google partners.