Asia’s Gaming Revolution Is Great News For Job Seekers

Asia makes up nearly half of the global gaming market, according to gaming marketing analytics firm NewZoo, which also reports that Southeast Asia generated game revenues of $4.4 billion in 2019. Mobile accounted for $3.1 billion of those revenues—or, just over 70% of the market.

Asia’s gaming ecosystem is not homogeneous, but there is one common thread: every major market in the region is mobile-first in terms of game preferences. The accessibility and widespread adoption of smartphones has fueled the growth of mobile gaming here.

India, for example, is a mobile-first market with 98.8% of gamers playing on the platform. They account for 85% of total market revenue, and right now, Ludo King, a game based on the Indian game of Ludo, is one of the most successful mobile games made in the country.

And according to market research firm Sensor Tower, toward the end of 2020, Chinese games titles accounted for as much as 20% of mobile gaming revenues in the U.S.

Esports too, are huge in the region, experiencing tremendous growth. Countries like China, South Korea, and Japan are at the forefront of the esports industry, hosting major tournaments and nurturing professional esports teams.

The esports industry generated a combined revenue of $634.3 million in 2021, growing 16.6% over the previous year, with its audience growing by 13% in 2021.

Largest gaming market

As the world’s largest gaming market, several key players have a strong presence. Companies such as Tencent Holdings, NetEase, Nexon, and Garena are among the major players, developing and publishing successful games catering to the Asian market.

Sony’s China Hero Project initiative was launched in 2016 to provide funding and resources to Chinese developers for them to bring games to the PlayStation platform for China and global markets. Similarly, Tencent has invested in game developers like Riot and Kuro.

Asia may have huge revenues and users, but according to recent data from Pitchbook, one area in which it lags is in terms of venture capital investment. The region’s gaming startups have historically attracted a relatively small share of VC funds.

Pitchbook points to a solution in the form of Bitkraft, a VC firm with more than $600 million in assets under management. Epic Games, Discord, FanAI and RedPillVR are just some of the games companies it has invested in, and now the company seeks to increase its exposure to Asia, and capitalize on this huge market.

Future growth

The Asian gaming industry is expected to only continue its growth into the future. The increasing penetration of smartphones, improving internet connectivity, rising disposable incomes, and the growing popularity of esports are all set to contribute to the industry’s expansion.

And advancements in technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) present new opportunities for innovation and growth in gaming, as does AI. A recent report from Market.us found that generative AI in the global gaming market is forecasted to accelerate at 23.3% CAGR by 2032.

That’s all good news for players and employees alike, and if you work in the industry, it is an exciting time. If a new job is on the horizon this year, then the Techwire Asia Job Board is a great place to start your job search. Discover three open roles below.

Keywords Studios is seeking a Game Engine Programmer for a remote role. Keywords is using its passion for games, technology and media to create a global services platform for video games. In this job, you’ll use your passion for games, insatiable curiosity, and versatility to work on a variety of projects and across all aspects of game development. You’ll need four or more years’ game industry C++ development programming experience, with very strong C++ design and coding experience plus strong understanding of the fundamentals.

At Ubisoft, a Lead Game Designer [Splinter Cell] is on offer in Toronto.You will be a designer-manager hybrid, influencing game design choices and direction, while leading a group of designers. You’ll help shape the systems and mechanics that make up the foundation of a game and set a clear plan of action to see their creations and implementations through. Interested? You will need at least five years’ of experience in game design, with a focus on 3Cs and AI being preferred.

If you are looking for a Lead Rendering Engineer job, Electronic Arts is hiring one in Los Angeles to work on Apex Legends. You will be the main driver of the architecture for rendering systems, striving to improve the quality, performance, and usability of these systems as well as the processes and tools around them. Plus, you will craft the vision and direction for the rendering team’s future roadmap, while providing technical guidance and mentoring to other rendering engineers.

For thousands more opportunities across tech in the U.S. and Asia Pacific, visit the Techwire Asia Job Board today

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