Boost for local game developers
Malaysia’s thriving games ecosystem is ready to level up, writes Balqis Lim
MALAYSIA is well poised to further grow and solidify its position as a game development hub of the region.
The federal government, in support of this move, has announced an allocation of RM20 million to develop the local esports industry in 2020. This amount is an additional of the RM10 million allocated this year.
Level Up KL 2019, which took place last month, will help push Malaysia’s standing up in the gaming arena.
Level Up KL is the biggest game festival in Malaysia organised by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to spearhead the digital economy in Malaysia.
The goal is to create a platform for gamers, the public, game developers, corporations and e-sports players to leverage on the biggest entertainment market as key economic growth for the region.
Now in its fifth edition, the event hosted both international and local game developers and industry leaders. In fact, it has become the launch platform for various games industry announcements for the region.
For the first time, Level Up KL featured events that cater to both the industry and the public, namely Level Up KL Biz and Level Up KL Play.
Both complement each other and are aimed at bringing greater exposure to Malaysia’s constantly expanding game development industry.
The event started on Nov 2 with Sea Game Jam, a 36-hour game jam where game developers from the Southeast Asian region worked together to create games in a collaborative environment based on a theme.
Workshops by experts were done inbetween the event, with a business connection programme held on Nov 6.
The opening ceremony was held on Nov 7, with Level Up KL Biz concluding on Nov 8.
During the event’s opening ceremony, MDEC chief executive officer Surina Shukri said: “Our next milestone is to position Malaysia as Southeast Asia’s games development powerhouse, making our nation as the preferred destination for this industry.
“I am confident that we will hit that milestone very soon as Malaysia has an enormous pool of local talents capable of developing games enjoyed by the world.”
Level Up KL Play, held on Nov 9 and 10, was opened to the public.
The two-day games festival featured various activities, such as game demos of soon-to-launch AAA and indie titles for both PCs and consoles, Grand Finals for multiple esports leagues, a video game concert and meet-and-greet activities.
MDEC Digital Creative Content vice president Hasnul Hadi Samsudin said the event was aimed at providing a platform for the public to engage with local game creators. “Level Up KL Play also provides an opportunity for us as a government agency to educate the public on opportunities in the games industry, including career paths and schools that offer these subjects.
“Our other focus is influencers. Influencers are like role models to some fans. So we also provide that platform for them to meet influencers and also look at the opportunities to become one.
“We’re working together with Facebook Gaming and eGG, an e-sports and gaming network, to bring influencers together,” he added.
MAJOR REVEALS
Many players took to the stage to share their latest industry-rocking updates and achievements.
Media Prima Digital re-launched its popular game newsportal, IGN Southeast Asia, with renewed content strategy, focused narratives, more focus on e-sports and richer multimedia production output.
The company had previously announced its new partnership with global digital media company Ziff Davis, a division of J2 Global, to operate IGN Southeast Asia for entertainment and gaming fans in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, local game development company Kurechii announced its latest progress as a game developer — publishing its all-new King’s League II on Apple Arcade. “Kurechii was one of the companies that we nurtured back in 2009, and is now a darling of Apple and Google. Both tech companies fought over Kurechii and Apple won,” said Hasnul.
“So we’re very proud to see Kurechii being part of this with their new game,
King’s League II,” he added.
Additionally, King’s League II is also coming to Steam, the most popular gaming platform for PC.
Streamline Media Group, meanwhile, announced an all-new brand, Day Zero, a quality assurance and localisation division, which will work closely with other Streamline divisions to build multiple game products while offering services to the global games industry.
The highlight of announcements was from Belgian-based video games development company, Larian Studios.
The company announced its expansion plans for Southeast Asia, with Malaysia being the chosen location to open its new hub.
Known for its Divinity series of roleplaying games, Larian Studios is currently developing its new RPG series called Baldur’s Gate 3.
It plans to engage local talents and include them in various game project developments.
Hasnul said the company came to Malaysia and was impressed to see the game development ecosystem here.
“They saw our local studios doing well and doing really good international work. They visited schools and universities and were impressed with the expertise level of our local talents.
“They also saw how the government is supporting our games industry and so they decided to be a part of this community.”
PLANS
As MDEC aims to position Malaysia as a regional powerhouse, Hasnul said they will continue to market the content that is coming from Malaysian studios.
“I always get asked the question ‘My son has so much interest in YouTube and becoming a content creator, what do I do or where do I go?’
“I hope this event will provide a platform for the public and youth to get the answers they seek and provide them the infrastructure to grow their interest.”