Online game opportunity awaits in Southeast Asia, says report

If you're thinking about bringing a game to Southeast Asia, now might be a good time if you're an online game developer. Market research firm Niko Partners said Tuesday that the Southeast Asia online games market will double to $1.2 billion by 2017, supported by 132 million players. Niko's new report said that out of 15,000 players surveyed – most of which were young, male "hardcore enthusiast" players – 25 percent said they play no mobile games. That's compared to China, where Niko's research found that 100 percent of people surveyed played mobile games. The Southeast Asia market includes Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. So what are the "hardcore" Southeast Asia players playing? Niko managing partner Lisa Cosmas Hanson explains, "Mobile games are booming in Southeast Asia as they are worldwide, yet client-based PC online gaming remains vibrant and will continue to experience aggressive revenue growth over the five-year forecast period. "We were surprised to find out that many Southeast Asian hardcore PC gamers ignore mobile gaming all together, a major behavioral difference from the Chinese gaming population." Niko's report summary also said players typically make online game payments using cash spent at retail and internet cafes. Also, Vietnam is poised to grow thanks to a lifted ban on new game licenses, while Indonesia is expected to have the fastest growth in the region over the next five years, the report added. The full report is available to purchase here.