One of the biggest beneficiaries of the growing digital economy in Southeast Asia is the gaming industry, and a trend that has also been fuelling the games market in the region is the rise of esports. According to Newzoo and gamescom Asia report, the vast majority (82 per cent) of Southeast Asia’s urban online population are gamers.
This is what the report says :
- Mobile is the most played platform in the region. Nevertheless, console and PC are popular and are also played by the majority of the online population.
- 80 per cent of the gamers play games on mobile.
- 69 per cent of the gamers play games on PC.
- 57 per cent of the gamers play on console.
- Gender split of gamers in the SEA population is far more even—especially on mobile.
- Overall, Southeast Asia’s most popular game genre is strategy. In fact, over a third of the urban online population plays the strategy genre. And it’s popular across all three segments, in mobile 36 per cent, console 32 per cent, and PC 29 per cent play strategy respectively.
- Mobile is the leading platform in SEA in the past six months 44 per cent of SEA’s gamers played Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, 33 per cent played Clash Royale and 27 per cent played Plants vs. Zombies (on mobile).
- The most popular franchises and genres on the other platforms, however, are completely different. Shooters are the top genre on the other two platforms, with over a third of SEA’s gamers playing on console 36 per cent and PC 34 per cent alike.
- SEA’s top-played franchise on PC is League of Legends, while the most popular on console is FIFA. There are fewer titles available in the battle arena (MOBA) genre on mobile and the annualized sports genre on console.
- more than half of SEA’s online population spends money on games. Interestingly, men are more likely to spend on games than women. 60 per cent men spend money on games whereas 44 per cent women spent money in games.
- Among most of these paying gamers 95 per cent spent on in-game items or virtual goods in the past six months, which makes sense given the market’s engagement with free-to-play games. The most commonly bought item is in-game currencies—for women is 44 per cent and men are 45 per cent
- The most regularly watched esport is PUBG Mobile, which is watched by a striking 40 per cent of SEA’s esports audience. 14 per cent watch regular PUBG (console and PC). Meanwhile, the second-most-popular esports game is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (33 per cent of esports viewers).
Southeast Asia is a games market to watch for any brand—whether they’re endemic or non-endemic to gaming. Owing to the market’s appetite for mobile, penchant for esports, and engagement with game-streaming, it’s no wonder why so many of the biggest games companies are entering Southeast Asia.