Globally, the games market was estimated to be worth $59.5b in 2010 and projected to grow to $70.1b in 2015, at a CAGR of 3.3%. Strong growth in the mobile and online games markets are expected to lead the trend1.
Singapore’s games sector comprises of over 62 games development, publishing and services companies2. Companies looking for a regional media hub capable of creating, publishing and distributing cutting edge games content will find in Singapore a skilled workforce, IT infrastructure and strong intellectual property rights protection regime. The country also houses major industry players such as Electronic Arts, LucasArts, Tecmo Koei, and Ubisoft.
Locally-based developers such as Ratloop Asia and Protege Production are also gaining international traction. Ratloop Asia’s games have been regularly featured at the Independent Games Festival, and the developer is currently working on a 3D stereoscopic game, Rocketbirds: Reloaded! for the PlayStation Network. Protege Production’s game Armor Valley first debuted on Xbox Live, and the IP has since been among the first games to launch on the Windows Mobile 7 platform. The developer currently has offices in Singapore and Silicon Valley.
The Future is Gaming
The games industry is a key driver behind the IDM sector, one of the fastest growing areas in Singapore with a CAGR of 20% in recent years3.
To support a vibrant local games industry, the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) aims to catalyse and establish an ecosystem for game development talent to take their products from concept to commercialisation. In order to do so, it will focus on original IP content creation and delivery via online and mobile means.
Aiding local games start ups in their efforts will be the Games Solution Center, slated to open in late 2011. In collaboration with industry partners, the center will provide development and commercialisation tools and services for made in Singapore games.
The following pages showcase a myriad of innovative games created by Singapore game developers. Also detailed are the nation’s most prominent games companies and the advanced technology pushing Singapore’s games industry into the future.
1 MDA research based on DFC Intelligence 2010 data.
2 Compiled numbers by the MDA as of June 2010.
3 Deloitte MDA IDM Flash Report 2010.
Click on the links below to see what Singapore’s game sector has to offer.