International Factfile 2015: Malaysia

Although Malaysia boasts one of the healthiest economies in Asia, its games market was initially slow to gain momentum.

This was exacerbated by a lack of local studios and publishers, a dearth of skilled labour and the apparent disinterest from Western companies, local blogger Manoj Prasad wrote in 2012.

Gaming trends in Malaysia appear to follow that of China, with gamers embracing MMO games, shooters and mobile titles above many other genres.

Long a territory plagued by piracy, in 2007 the Entertainment Software Association joined with the Motion Picture Association to combat the illegal sale of games in Malaysia.

Thanks to this and other efforts, the country is now becoming a far more attractive prospect for triple-A publishers from the West.

These include Bandai Namco, which opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur last October.

Joining Bandai Namco is Ubisoft. Although the Assassin’s Creed publisher doesn’t have an office in Malaysia, it covers the area from its Singapore location.

This year, Ubisoft announced that it would open its first theme park in Kuala Lumpur in 2020. The 10,000-square-metre attraction will include rides based on the firm’s range of video game IP.

According to a 2014 report by the World Tourism Organisation, Malaysia is the second-most-visited country in Asia” commented Jean de Rivires, senior vice president of Ubisoft Motion Pictures.

There is room for multiple projects to take root in the region and a growing middle class with an increasing income and appetite for entertainment.”

Population: 30,742,000

Capital City: Kuala Lumpur

Currency: Ringgit

GDP (Per Capita): $12,127.21

KEY RETAILERS

Game4u, Lazada, MaxLink4Gamers, Impulse Gaming, GameShop

TOP DISTRIBUTORS

Playbox, Maxsoft, Master Genius, Play Interactive

TOP DEVELOPERS

Sunnyside Interactive, Appxplore, Dilectus Games, Kurechii Studio, Easy Only! Games, Mediasoft, WIGU Games, Shawn Beck

PUBLISHERS IN THE REGION

Bandai Namco, Microsoft, Sony, Ubisoft (Singapore)