What Does the Rise of Mobile Gaming Mean for the Asia Pacific Region?
The mobile gaming sector is growing quicker than Usain Bolt racing a cheater! Turns out, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region loves waving weapons and defeating enemies on-the-go as the concentration of smartphone gamers is highest there than anywhere else in the world. In fact, the APAC region is expected to account for 52% of the total global gaming revenue for 2018, representing a 16.8% year-on-year increase, according to the 2018 Global Games Market Report by Newzoo. Now that’s pretty impressive!
Economic Growth in South-East Asia Drives Mobile Game Revenue
South East Asia is rapidly becoming a hub for the rising mobile gaming market. Not up on your geography? Well, this means that countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are all flying the mobile gaming flag. Go Asia! Although the region has been associated with a tumultuous past, it is growing at a rapid rate of more than 5% per year, making it the world’s ninth largest economy.
Rising economic growth and efficient internet penetration are playing a significant role in mobile gaming popularity. Many big gaming companies from China, Korea and Japan have concentrated their efforts on this market, due to its accessibility and flourishing gaming culture. Western companies too have found growth potential here, as the internal markets have yet to be ravaged by homegrown players.
Prevalence of Smartphone and Mobile Infrastructure
Let’s not beat around the bush. Smartphones are addictive, not only in the Western world but in the Asia-Pacific region too. For many, smartphones are the first and only devices that provide access to the internet and gaming. In other words, many inhabitants weren’t brought up in a console-gaming culture where transitioning to mobile gaming is actually a ‘thing.’
In addition, people are increasingly using tablets to play games. It is estimated that 287.1 million tablets were used actively in the region in 2017, a 24.2% increase from the previous year. On the other hand, smartphone gamers also increased to 341.8 million in 2017, from 321.8 million in 2016. Some of the biggest gaming publishers, such as Nintendo and Namco Bandai, have established offices in Japan, which is also incidentally the second largest gaming market in the region.
For Singapore-based IGG, the Asia-Pacific region remains a big contributor, generating 49% of the company’s 2017 sales. The company has found a huge gamer base in countries like Indonesia, China and Vietnam.
Advantages of Rising Smartphone Use in the APAC Region
Increasing smartphone usage in this area has fuelled the mobile gaming market. These smartphones are basically awesome little pocket computers offering an enhanced user experience. Consumer requirements for e-sports are being easily met by real-time multiplayer games. Gamers are also having a lot of fun by simply connecting their devices to the cloud. They can play a game, pause it, customise it to the local dialect and even play games across multiple devices via the cloud. At the same time, lesser time and costs associated with developing mobile games is propelling the industry forward.
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