Two major market research firms are collaborating to create research reports on key emerging game industry markets: DFC Intelligence and Niko Partners will unite as DFC-Niko Emerging Markets, covering Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. While DFC Intelligence continues to exist as a standalone firm, the DFC-Niko Emerging Markets division will analyze and report on each of these markets -- which it says are among the world's fastest-growing -- charting data like size, audience info, modes of payment, piracy stats and more. DFC says that based on its experience covering South Korea since 2001, it expects to see a similar "explosive growth" in the emerging markets covered under the research partnership. For Niko's part, it's been covering China since 2003 -- at which point, it says, "a legitimate game market barely existed." Just as China has since become the world's largest PC market, DFC-Niko says the ten markets they chose to cover "have enough maturity to justify potential investment". Going forward, the two will jointly offer consulting services as well, aimed at firms interested in entering these markets, and will also expand their research and reporting on the emerging markets.