June 5, 2025: Niko’s 2025 Market Models for all 13 of our Markets are Now Available
The Asia & MENA video game markets generated $86.6 billion from player spending on game software and services in 2024, up 1.4% YoY. Revenue is projected to reach $96.0 billion in 2029 at a 5-year CAGR of 2.1%, quickly approaching $100 billion. The 13 countries that Niko Partners tracks in Asia & MENA accounted for 46.4% of worldwide games revenue (PC, Mobile & Console) in 2024, with over 1.65 billion gamers across the regions. While 2024 market growth was slower than 2023, our analysis reveals that demographic shifts, platform innovation, and changes in gamer behavior can deliver growth for companies willing to invest in geographic expansion.
Download the Key Takeaways for all regions→
Vietnam and South Korea sign MOU to strengthen partnership in games industry
Key game industry agencies from Vietnam and South Korea, including the Korean Game Culture Foundation, the Game Product Administration Committee, and Vietnam's Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, convened during Vietnam GameVerse 2025 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in video games industry. The agreement outlines plans to share policy frameworks, collaborate on game development and production, harmonize rating systems, and expand joint workforce training and esports initiatives.
Why this matters: This MoU underscores a broader trend of closer partnership between Vietnam and Korea in gaming, building on recent collaborations such as Vietnamese localizations of Korean titles and Korean investment in Vietnamese studios. As Vietnam seeks to uplift its cultural IPs and Korea leverages its mature game market expertise, joint efforts on policy alignment and talent exchange could accelerate the domestic industry's move toward higher production values and cultural resonance. We note that South Korea signed a similar agreement with Singapore and Philippines.
Link to original article (Vietnamese) →
Abu Dhabi University introduces bachelor program in game design
Abu Dhabi University has announced that starting August 2025 the university will start to offer its first bachelor program in game design as part of collaboration between the university, the Department of Culture and Tourism, and the video game focused school Rubika with the support of AD Gaming. This makes Abu Dhabi University the first in the country to ever implement a Bachelor of Arts degree in Video Game Design.
Why this matters: The launch of the UAE’s first bachelor's degree in game design marks a pivotal step in developing a local talent pipeline to support the region’s growing gaming ambitions. The initiative aligns with other Abu Dhabi related initiatives including those run by AD Gaming and the Department of Culture and Tourism to drive job creation and talent development. This aggressive push with limited existing talent has led to a growing talent gap that universities are looking to solve.
Tencent launches Goddess of Victory: Nikke in mainland China
Tencent launched Goddess of Victory: Nikke for mobile and PC in mainland China on May 22, 2025. Goddess of Victory: Nikke is an RPG with shooting mechanics and a sci-fi theme that leans heavily on its ACGN art style to appeal to players. The game is developed by South Korean firm Shift Up and was originally published outside China by Tencent on November 4, 2022. The game has been a huge success outside China, grossing over $1 billion.
Why this matters: The title debuted at #1 on the iOS game download chart and reaching #11 on the iOS game revenue chart. It also reached #53 on our China Games & Streaming Tracker in its first week, indicating a steady start for the title. The Chinese version of the game has undergone hyperlocalization with key benefits for the domestic market. The studio confirmed that several quality-of-life improvements rolled out in China will eventually be implemented in the global build.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
Nintendo to expand Switch 2 launch to MENA and Southeast Asia
Nintendo has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 2 will officially launch in Singapore, Thailand the Philippines on June 26, 2025. Nintendo previously confirmed that local eShop support is also in the works. This news comes after the firm announced that the Switch 2 will launch in Saudi Arabia on the same day as the global launch (June 5) and will launch a local eShop there too.
Why this matters: MENA and Southeast Asia have traditionally been underserved by Nintendo due to a lack of official distribution, eShop support, and other online features. Nintendo is fully committing to expand support in these regions through local partnerships that will increase the attractiveness of its console and games. This will allow local gamers to buy from official retailers and use a local account, payment methods and currency to purchase games.
Tencent wins IP infringement court case setting future precedent
The Shenzhen Bao'an District People's Court has issued a landmark ruling in favor of Tencent's Peacekeeper Elite, China's top-grossing mobile battle royale title, in a high-profile intellectual property (IP) infringement case. The defendant was found guilty of illegally decompiling and reverse-engineering the game client to leak unreleased in-game content. The court ordered the defendant to immediately cease infringing activities, publicly apologize, and pay damages.
Why this matters: The judgment represents a milestone in the legal enforcement of IP rights within China's gaming sector, especially regarding digital game assets and pre-release content. From a legal perspective, the ruling affirms that game assets including characters, skins, and storyline elements are protected under Chinese copyright law and that unauthorized data mining or unpacking constitutes both copyright and trade secret infringement. This sets a crucial precedent for future enforcement, alongside a similar miHoYo case from earlier this year.
Did you know that Niko Partners can work with you on custom research & consulting projects specifically tailored to your business? Sound interesting?
Bilibili announces Uma Musume: Pretty Derby will return to the China market
Bilibili Games has officially relaunched Uma Musume: Pretty Derby in mainland China, nearly two years after its initial public beta in August 2023. The game had quickly climbed to the iOS Top 10 grossing chart at launch, demonstrating strong market interest, but was abruptly delisted soon after due to unspecified "technical reasons." With no updates since May 2024, its sudden reappearance has drawn significant attention across local gaming platforms.
Why this matters: The initial delisting prompted speculation that the NPPA had called for the game to be withdrawn, either due to the anthropomorphic nature of female character designs or the link to horse racing that may be seen as promoting gambling. The relaunched version of Uma Musume includes minor but notable localization changes. The relaunch also signals a broader trend of second-wave releases for previously shelved games, facilitated by improved compliance and a more cautious approach to content localization in China.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
NIP Group to open 100+ esports hotels in China
Esports organization NIP Group has announced that it will open its first esports hotel in Chengdu, with plans to open 100+ locations across China over the next 3 years. The news comes after an August 2024 announcement where NIP Group partnered with BTG Homeinns, a leading hospitality company in China, to develop and operate esports hotels across the country. NIP Group was created as part of a merger between Swedish esports team Ninjas in Pyjamas (NIP) and China-based eStar Gaming (Previously ESV5).
Why this matters: NIP Group has announced a number of initiatives since it went public in July 2024, including a game publishing business, offline distribution business and esports hotel business. The esports hotel industry has witnessed significant growth since 2019 with nearly 20,000 dedicated esports hotels in business today, with many more offering additional PC gaming services. Esports hotels have helped stem the decline of location-based gaming that we started to see with internet cafes.
Valorant Mobile closed beta to start in June with esports rollout to follow
Tencent Games has confirmed that it will run a closed beta for Valorant Mobile in China this June, ahead of its official launch later this year. The mobile version is developed by Riot Games and Tencent's Lightspeed Studio, also known for PUBG Mobile. An esports rollout is also set to take place for the title, with Tencent and Riot Games partnering with smartphone manufacturer OnePlus to run an esports tournament for the game.
Why this matters: Valorant Mobile recently opened pre-registrations in China, with over 10 million signups in the first 48 hours. Valorant has been a hit hero shooter for PC in China since its domestic launch in July 2023, recently surpassing 2 million peak concurrent players. The addition of a mobile version and separate esports league is expected to further grow the IP in China, in a similar way to League of Legends and Wild Rift.
Events
ChinaJoy
Shanghai, China
August 1-4, 2025
Attendee: Xiaofeng Zeng