Southeast Asia’s Gaming Industry: Philippines Mobile Gaming Market

The world continues to release new games to cater to the ever-growing number of gamers around the globe. With competitive gaming becoming more popular by the minute, the industry especially the mobile gaming market boosts its revenue through viewership, players, competitions, and more. Marketing these games is also not that difficult due to live-streaming platforms such as Twitch, Youtube, and Facebook.

Southeast Asia emerged as one of the biggest pools for the global gaming industry. It continues to rise through the years, with approximately 250 million users as of 2021. One of the biggest markets is the Philippines’ mobile gaming market. 

Southeast Asia’s Mobile Gaming Industry Empire

The gaming industry as a whole continues to grow, standing tall all the while the economy wavered because of the pandemic. With small developers having more accessible access to cyber stores, the number of games released multiplied, thus catering to a lot of niche groups that big commercial game developers do not cater to.

Indonesia holds the biggest market revenue in 2021 with approximately 1.83 billion US dollars. That revenue came from millions of players all over Indonesia playing mobile, console, and PC games. Second, on the list is the Philippines. It boasts roughly around 1.48 billion US dollars in revenue. It increased to 27.9 percent of its revenue in 2019.

Philippines’ Mobile Gaming Market

In the Philippines alone, approximately 74% of the gaming industry plays on their mobile devices, 65% of the population plays on their PC and 45% play on the console. The Philippines’ mobile gaming market continues to grow in popularity as more and more influencers emerge.

It cannot be denied that Filipinos’ interest in video games become more acceptable through competitive playing. The term “e-sports” became accepted in many national and local competitions, thus gaining the attention of many casual gamers to play to win games.

Another reason for this rapid growth is the accessibility of low-cost phones that can support heavy graphics games compared to PC and console games. This is popular, especially for the younger generation of gamers.

Mobile Game Localization in Southeast Asian Countries

You must consider the following countries for translation and game localization as game developers. You need to know the benefits and importance of game localization to easily penetrate these markets.

Indonesia

Indonesia is currently the most significant contributor to Southeast Asia’s gaming revenue. Its market brings about 1.84 billion US dollars. That means millions of users continue to purchase and spend money on video games.

Philippines

The Philippines continues to dominate the mobile gaming market. It is still one of the top gaming communities in the world. With many Filipinos playing and discussing mobile games, localizing your game to target the Philippine market is undoubtedly an excellent investment.

Malaysia

According to the government, one of the main economic driving factors of Malaysia is its gaming market. As a developing industry, they are continuing their support to enhance and grow the market to further develop it.

Singapore

Gamers in Singapore do not shy away from in-game purchases. Singapore also boosts its game developers and publishers to continue building games that will benefit their economy. Singapore’s Tourism board continually supports the market growth by hosting multiple gaming conferences. Bringing in more investors to the country and shedding light on Singapore’s broadening gaming market.

Thailand

Considered one of the fastest growing markets in Southeast Asia, Thailand’s gaming industry spread like wildfire during the pandemic. 95% of gamers prefer using mobile devices for gaming, with 84% and 64% for PC and console, respectively. In addition, 95% of their paying players do not hesitate to purchase in-game items.  

With the right tools, you can easily penetrate these markets. The game needs proper game translation and game localization. Without it, the game will feel unnatural, and gamers will feel disinterested. Choosing the proper game translation and localization company will change your game’s performance in the market. Game localization must contribute to a player’s immersion, not take it away. So, choose right.

CREATIVE CONNECTIONS & COMMONS INC. offers game localization services that add immersion and creativity and do not take the game’s originality. Our game localization team consists of professionals who are game enthusiasts as well. With years of experience, you have nothing to worry about. You’re in good hands.