Love and Deepspace has reached the iOS Top Grossing Chart six times in one year
On December 2, Love and Deepspace launched an update titled “Where Silverwings Rest”. Within 4 hours of the banner’s release, the game topped the China mobile game charts, and within 8 hours, it claimed the #1 spot on the iOS Top Grossing chart. This comes 130 days after Love and Deepspace last reached the number one position. The latest achievement was also record-breaking as it recorded the fastest time for the game to reach #1 after the update went live.
Why this matters: Love and Deepspace has maintained its top position in the women-oriented game segment for the past year, and topping the charts has gradually become a common for the game during major version updates. In fact, the game has topped the charts six times over the past year, giving Tencent’s Honor of Kings some healthy competition. While China’s video game market still skews somewhat male, Love and Deepspace proves that catering to an entirely female audience can also pay off.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
Free-to-play open world action-RPG Where Winds Meet exceeds 9 million players
Where Winds Meet has surpassed nine million players according to NetEase. For context, Where Winds Meet successfully reached a total player base exceeding 2 million within the first 24 hours of its debut on November 15. Since then, the game has maintained increasing popularity, reaching a peak of 251,008 concurrent Steam players during its initial week.
Why this matters: 9,000,000 downloads within two weeks is impressive, but not among the largest launches to date, as other free-to-play titles such as Genshin Impact surpassed 10 million pre-registrations prior to launch, and Apex Legends exceeded 25 million players within the first week of its surprise announcement and release. Nonetheless, as a new IP based on Chinese history and mythology, Where Winds Meet has established a robust foundational base from which to continue its development.
FIFAe World Cup 2025 kicked off December 10th
Konami announced that the FIFAe World Cup 2025 will kick off on December 10th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The second edition of the virtual football tournament features 12 national representatives from regional qualifiers for both console and mobile. 2v2 format will take place for the console division, meanwhile 1v1 format will be used for the mobile division. In campaigning for the upcoming eFootball tournament, players will be able to claim prizes via in-game event that will be held between December 4-18. A total prize pool of $136,000 will be divided for both console and mobile winners.
Why this matters: eFootball remains one of the most popular sports games; it also frequently combines real-life football events into in-game events. Saudi Arabia has been investing in esports as well as games in general as part of its Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify its economy.
New details reveal that Saudi’s PIF will own 93.4% of EA Games following the completion of the leveraged buyout
In late September, EA Games announced that it would be bought out by a consortium consisting of Saudi’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners for the hefty sum of $55 billion, including debt. An ownership breakdown was not shared at that time, but a recent filing with Brazil’s antitrust regulator shows that the plan is for the PIF to own 93.4% of EA, with Silver Lake owning 5.5% and Affinity owning the remaining 1.1%. The Wall Street Journal article that uncovered the filing also revealed that the consortium is funding the deal with $36.4 billion in combined equity, with a $20 billion loan.
Why this matters: The PIF is rolling over an existing holding in EA that is worth about $5.2 billion at the takeover price, implying it must put up about $29 billion of new cash to reflect its final ownership stake. Most of Affinity Fund’s funding comes from Saudi Arabia, and Silver Lake has had a lot of investment from Saudi Arabia as well.
Korea’s National Heritage Administration partnering with Devsisters for a Cookie Run-themed special exhibit in Deoksugung Palace
On December 8, Korea’s National Heritage Administration announced that it will hold a special exhibition in Deoksugung Palace, Seoul, in collaboration with mobile game company Devsisters. Titled “Cookie Run: In Search of Lost National Heritage,” the exhibition will be held until March 1, 2026, with it being the first exhibition to open the entire first and second floors of the palace’s Dondeokjeon to the public.
Why this matters: The exhibition utilizes Devsisters’ Cookie Run IP, with the game having more than 300 million users worldwide. We have seen positive responses for collaboration between tourist sites and game IPs, granted that there should be thematic connection and cultural sensitivities that need to be planned accordingly. Notable past examples include Genshin Impact’s collaboration with Sanxingdui Museum, Naraka: Bladepoint with Shanghai Museum, and Pokemon with various Japanese museum for its fossil exhibits.
Link to original article (Korean) →
Niko Partners delivers the most detailed, in-depth analysis and insights into the Asia, Middle East, and North Africa video games and esports markets. Our local feet on the ground produce a comprehensive set of market report series with Niko’s proprietary data and insights. The 2025 Market Model Half-Year Update are available now.
Learn more here →
Roblox Corporation appointed as VAT collector for transactions conducted by Indonesian residents
On December 4, The Directorate General of Taxes (DGT) of the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia announced that it has officially appointed Roblox Corporation to collect the 11% value-added tax (VAT) on transactions conducted by Indonesian residents within its gaming applications. A foreign entity is appointed as a VAT Collector in Indonesia if it has fulfilled the criteria including: the digital transaction value in Indonesia exceeds IDR 600 million ($36,000) in a year or IDR 50 million ($3,000) in 1 month; and/or the number of traffic or accesses in Indonesia exceeds 12,000 in a year or 1,000 in a month.
Why this matters: Roblox Corporation is the latest game company that Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance designated as a VAT collector. Other companies that are also in the same position include, but not limited to Mojang, Valve, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Supercell, Epic Games, Tencent Mobile, and Wargaming.
Link to original article (Indonesian) →
Japanese game company KLab to raise 5.1 billion yen through UAE investment company
On December 5, Japanese game company KLab’a stock price continued to reach new highs since the beginning of the year following the announcement that it would raise JPY 5.1 billion ($32.6 million) through a third-party allotment of new shares to UAE investment company UCI, among others. KLab is known for popular anime-based mobile games including Bleach: Brave Souls, Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team, and Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars.
Why this matters: Middle Eastern interests in Japanese game companies and Asian game markets in general have been on the rise. Notable examples include Saudi-based PIF’s investments in Nintendo, Capcom, Nexon, SNK, and Koei Tecmo, as well as Qatari companies’ partnership with Tencent’s Level Infinite and SEGA. Manga Productions, which is based in Saudi Arabia, has a significant partnership between Japan and the headquarters’ country.
Link to original article (Japanese) →
Events
SEA Games 2025 - Free Fire & Arena of Valor Finals
Bangkok, Thailand
December 18-19, 2025
Attendee: Nina Kitkrua