The World’s Fastest-growing Mobile Games Market
September 23, 2020
Southeast Asia's 'Big Six' Gaming Cluster is Rapidly Leveling Up
With
KOGs — an NFT-powered, blockchain mobile title — on the way, it’s imperative for us to stay current with gaming trends.
Ever since our project’s formation back in 2019, we knew why SEA has so many advantages over other regions. For starters, the area’s digital economy is enjoying record-shattering expansion. Plus, compared to previous generations, a young, growing population is becoming more affluent than ever.
But amid all the benefits that come with operating a tech startup in a tech-focused country, video games are the standout. Local appetite for mobile games is why we brought
Arclegger onboard to co-found our gaming studio.
You see, the entire world loves to play mobile games. Gaming apps see the most downloads in comparison to any other category in existence. And here in SEA, once could argue that the residents may be bonafide gaming fanatics.
A report from market intelligence firm, Newzoo, reveals remarkable expansion within SEA’s mobile games market. So, just how much has the tide swollen? The simple answer: Massively. But before we talk about growth figures, we’ll first get into a little geography.
Gaming Hotbed
As an in-depth RedFOX gaming article explains, the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are where the region’s gamers are concentrated.
Southeast Asia’s ‘Big Six’ gaming cluster holds over 124M gamers representing an impressive 61% of the online population.
It’s abundantly clear that Southeast Asians love their games. And because SEA is a mobile-first society — it’s no surprise that residents are increasingly turning to smartphones for their daily gaming fix.
Opportunities within Southeast Asia’s gaming market are created by a perfect storm: millions of tech-savvy citizens, thriving economies, and turbocharged demand for interactive digital entertainment.
And now that you’re aware of SEA’s borderline obsession with gaming, let’s delve into the region’s multi-billion dollar annual revenues.
Mobile Rules
SEA’s mobile penetration rate recently surpassed 100%. How is that even possible? Simple math. Owners of multiple SIM cards abound within the vast Internet-connected population.
All those mobile gadgets — containing game after game after game — last year generated over U.S. $3B in regional revenue.
Including console and PC, 2019 saw Southeast Asia’s gaming market draw in $4.3B across all devices. But as you can see in the above chart, mobile is the dominant player — accounting for 69% of total profits.
Year-over-year, SEA’s mobile gaming income spiked over 17%, which places the region atop the world’s mobile games market leaderboard.
Wrapping Up
As investments into local game publishers continue to pour in, SEA’s gaming market will further expand. Chinese and Korean companies are especially attracted to the region, displaying their enthusiasm via heavy promotion of gaming IP.
The number of smartphone users is on the rise in SEA. That rise also applies to the number of residents — and their disposable income — as well. Plus, because Internet connectivity is mobile-first, it’s only natural for mobile-focused publishers to control market share.
To say RedFOX Labs’ gaming studio is mobile-first is an understatement. It seems as though everyone carries a mobile device these days — so what better location for our upcoming blockchain game?
Although KOGS will be available for gamers worldwide, Southeast Asians have an affinity for local products. And since we’re operating from Vietnam, a significant component of the ‘Big Six,’ we couldn’t be more local if we tried.
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