Firms such as Tencent, miHoYo and NetEase from China have set up bases in Singapore while Japanese developers Cygames and SNK opened new offices on the city-state this year, alongside their already-established counterparts Sega and Capcom.
Mr Chia said the association is working closely with institutes of higher learning and government bodies to grow a local talent pool to meet industry needs, as more global gaming companies expand their presence here.
“This creates a lot of institutional knowledge. Local talents who go through these companies can then come out and create opportunities for some of their own startups and studios as well,” he told CNA.
HUB FOR SEA GAMING SCENE
Mr Chia added that Singapore can be a hub for Southeast Asian gaming, and facilitate enrichment and cross-collaboration with regional game makers.
“Collectively as a region … (we can) make better games, staff better studios … and drive the uplifting of the storytelling from our region to the rest of the world,” he said.
Mr Barnard said Southeast Asia has the competitive advantages of affordable manpower cost, as well as cultures vastly different from cookie-cutter games currently on the racks.
“We’ve reached a saturation point in video games where everything looks the same. If you have some sort of art concept that’s interesting and doesn’t look like anything else that’s out there … it can get a lot of attention,” he said.
Still, publishers that provide investment and marketing for games said inspiration needs to be tempered with caution, and be relatable to buyers.
“We have to consider (whether) … we present these stories and narratives in a way that matters to the global audience,” said Mr Brian Kwek, the founder of Ysbryd Games, an indie game publisher based in Singapore and Britain.
He added that the local games ecosystem needs investments to truly thrive.
Mr Leyden’s advice to young developers would be to build a solid foundation with games that can appeal to the immediate market.
“If you are just starting up, don’t shoot for the moon … walk before you run. Build up your skill set and take it forward,” he said.
“Make a game that speaks to you, that compels you, that your neighbour, your city, your country is going to like. Build your core skill set around making something that the people you know can appreciate.”
The global gaming market is projected to grow at an annual rate of almost 9 per cent to reach US$363 billion by 2027, according to data gathering platform Statista.
