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Why Malaysia is looking to supercharge its ICT sector
Malaysia is aggressively pursuing a strategic shift in its national economy, aiming to increase the ICT sector’s contribution to its GDP from 12 percent in 2012 to 17 percent.
- Malaysia is targeting an increase in the ICT sector's contribution to national GDP from 12 percent in 2012 to 17 percent.
- The government is scaling its mobile app developer talent pool from an initial 700 trained individuals to a core community of 7,000 developers.
- The Malaysian Multimedia Development Corporation is driving this growth using a private-sector staffing model to ensure agile, market-oriented policy implementation.
There's a huge opportunity in Asia reckons Applifier's Mika Kuusisto Applifier
The mobile gaming landscape in 2014 presents a significant expansion opportunity within Asian markets, serving as a primary strategic focus for developers and service providers alike.
- Asian mobile gaming markets represent the primary strategic expansion focus for developers and service providers in 2014 due to significant growth and user acquisition potential.
- Successful entry into Asian markets requires navigating complex, localized dynamics that necessitate careful planning and dedicated resource allocation.
- Gameplay recording services that enable users to share high scores and personal reactions on social media are essential tools for driving organic growth and community building.
Culturalisation and distribution are the challenges in Asia says Side-kick's Guy Bendov
The mobile gaming landscape requires extreme agility to navigate shifting business models, evolving player preferences, and rapid production cycles.
- Side-kick Games is targeting the release of 5 to 6 free-to-play mobile titles in 2014 through partnerships with publishers such as DeNA West and Majesco.
- Expanding into Asian markets is a primary strategic goal, with the company identifying cultural adaptation and distribution as the two most significant barriers to entry.
- The studio maintains a diversified development focus that includes not only mobile platforms but also emerging hardware trends like Smart TVs, motion control interfaces, and microconsoles such as Ouya.
Tapjoy's Paul Bowen predicts UA prices will rise in 2014
The mobile gaming industry faces a period of significant consolidation and rising financial barriers throughout 2014.
- User acquisition costs are projected to rise steadily throughout 2014 due to increased competition for digital ad inventory.
- The mobile gaming market is shifting toward a winner-take-all environment, with dominance increasingly concentrated among a small group of major publishers.
- Rising user acquisition costs are driven by a continuous influx of new game developers and the entry of non-gaming advertisers into the mobile ad space.
Monetizer: Epic Empire
Epic Empire, developed by Pocket Gems, represents a strategic attempt to innovate within the mobile city-building genre by shifting the primary focus from army management to individual character progression.
- Pocket Gems' Epic Empire pivots the mobile city-building genre away from traditional army management by focusing on individual character progression and light RPG mechanics.
- The game utilizes a hard currency system called 'star stones' with seven distinct in-app purchase price points ranging from $1 to $100.
- Hard currency to soft resource conversion is relativistic, meaning the amount of gold received is scaled based on the player's current storehouse capacity.
2014 will be difficult for indies. We need to work together, says Adrian Adamiak
The mobile gaming market is undergoing a significant period of consolidation, creating a challenging environment for independent developers.
- The 2014 mobile gaming market is experiencing significant consolidation, where a small number of dominant publishers control the majority of revenue and consumer attention.
- Visibility has become the primary barrier for independent developers due to the high volume of daily game releases and a lack of resources to compete with major players.
- Independent studios must shift from solitary operations to strategic partnerships, investor backing, or publisher alignment to achieve the scale necessary for survival.
Discovery is a challenge but one we can overcome says QuizTiz's Albert Marshall
The mobile gaming landscape presents significant hurdles for independent developers, particularly regarding user acquisition and game discovery.
- Game discovery remains the primary challenge for mobile developers due to the high volume of new titles entering the market.
- QuizTix is targeting a broad demographic of smartphone users who do not identify as traditional gamers to expand their market reach.
- Successful user acquisition requires a hybrid strategy that balances traditional PR and marketing with data-driven analytics.
Distimo's Richard Pidgeon on the importance of data
Market intelligence firms play a critical role in the mobile gaming ecosystem by providing essential data analytics to publishers and developers.
- Market intelligence firms provide essential performance metrics and benchmarks that allow mobile game developers to transition from raw data to actionable product strategies.
- The analytics sector is currently experiencing growth driven by an increased demand for granular data specifically focused on user acquisition and conversion tracking.
- To improve usability, analytics providers are innovating by implementing real-time leaderboards and intuitive interfaces that help independent developers identify the specific sources of their traffic and revenue.
Monetizer: Dark District
Dark District, a mobile strategy title developed by Kabam, serves as a case study in the evolution of the city-building genre popularized by Clash of Clans.
- Kabam’s Dark District, released in late 2013, monetizes base development by restricting players to a single construction unit, creating artificial scarcity that incentivizes the use of hard currency to accelerate progress.
- The game utilizes a science-fiction aesthetic to differentiate itself from the fantasy-themed city-building titles that dominated the mobile market during the 2013–2014 period.
- The monetization model features a tiered structure for in-app purchases, ranging from approximately four dollars at the entry level to mid-range options around fifty dollars.
Mobile is the dominant driver for the game's industry say Applifier's CEO
Mobile gaming is rapidly emerging as the primary growth engine for the global interactive entertainment sector, with projections indicating the market will expand from $13 billion in 2013 to $22 billion by 2015.
- The mobile gaming market is projected to grow from $13 billion in 2013 to $22 billion by 2015, establishing it as the primary growth engine for the interactive entertainment sector.
- The influx of console-quality development talent into the mobile space is shifting the industry focus from casual titles toward more complex, mid-core, and core gaming experiences.
- Mobile platforms are increasingly characterized by a winner-take-all environment, where app store saturation makes content discoverability a critical structural challenge for developers.
Game Connection's Pierre Mirlit on how the event is changing
Game Connection is strategically evolving its event model to mirror the shifting dynamics of the global video game industry.
- Game Connection has secured a five-year commitment to manage the Montreal International Game Show, expanding its operational footprint alongside existing conferences in Europe and the United States.
- The event model is shifting to include a dedicated focus on marketing services, broadening its scope beyond traditional developer and publisher networking.
- The console market is projected to undergo a substantial resurgence over the next two to three years, providing a period of stability for industry stakeholders.
Playground Publishing plans for 2014 revealed
Playground Publishing operates as a strategic partner for developers navigating the transition from premium to freemium business models.
- Playground Publishing provides a publishing-as-a-service model backed by MTI to assist developers in transitioning from premium to freemium business structures.
- The firm utilizes a strategy of silent launches and iterative testing to refine game performance and monetization before executing full global releases.
- The 2014 fiscal pipeline includes a major global launch scheduled for the final week of February and an experimental title slated for release in December.