Niko News: Niko Partners’ NGSC 2025 Wrap Up - New Blog Post
Shaping Future of Esports: Niko Partners’ NGSC 2025 Wrap Up
The New Global Sport Conference (NGSC) 2025 took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with the conclusion of Esports World Cup on August 22–24. Niko Partners was honored to be invited for the third consecutive year, taking part to both a panel discussion and a podcast. Our CEO, Lisa Hanson had numerous conversations with industry leaders and shared insights on how Asia and MENA are driving the next phase of growth in video games and esports.
Read our wrap up of NGSC in our latest blog post.
NetEase launches Destiny: Rising globally
Destiny: Rising, the F2P mobile MMORPG based on Bungie's Destiny IP, launched worldwide on August 28, 2025. Developed and published by NetEase in close partnership with Bungie, the title is the first major mobile extension of the Destiny universe. Pre-launch anticipation was high, with pre-registrations surpassing 10 million globally. The game has grossed over $5 million within its first week and entered the top 10 download charts in several English-speaking markets.
Why this matters: NetEase originally invested $100 million into Bungie in 2018 to support in the creation of mobile games and new IP. Sony Interactive Entertainment later acquired Bungie fully in 2022, with the developer becoming a first party studio. The title is NetEase's most ambitious mobile RPG to date aimed at global markets, and reflects the company's increasing success in working with AAA Western IP holders to produce mobile-first adaptations. Critics and players have positively noted how Destiny: Rising captures the core appeal of the original franchise, including its expansive world design, discovery mechanics, and sci-fi atmosphere.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
Meet Niko Partners at Tokyo Game Show 2025
Niko Partners will be at Tokyo Game Show 2025 Business Days, September 25-26. We’re looking forward to connecting with industry friends and partners at Japan’s biggest gaming showcase. Want to chat with us during the show? Just send us an email to set it up.
Roblox disables chat features in both UAE and Saudi Arabia with continuing concerns over child safety
Following talks with local regulators in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Roblox has disabled chat features in both countries, with other GCC countries expected to follow suit. The decision will be put into effect immediately, with Roblox sharing that they will be enhancing moderation tools and updating the game to make it safer for children, to deter exploitation and cyberbullying. Roblox also mentioned safer Arabic-language content and chat, which must have come as a negotiating tactic to avoid having the game banned outright.
Why this matters: Roblox has become one of the largest gaming platforms in the world, recently peaking at over 111 million daily active users. With over 50% of its players under the age of 18, child safety on the platform has become a large issue. This has led to outright bans in Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia have chosen to disable chat features in game. The disabling of chat features is currently being viewed as temporary by Roblox, indicating regulators are willing to work on a solution to lift the block.
Century Games launches Kingshot in China after success overseas
On August 28, Century Huatong subsidiary Century Games (DianDian Interactive) officially launched Kingshot on the WeChat Mini Game platform in China. Kingshot is a medieval idle survival strategy game, which has found significant global success, generating over $200 million in cumulative revenue as of July 2025 according to Sensor Tower. Notably, Kingshot ranked #2 in Sensor Tower's July Top 30 China mobile export game revenue chart, just behind Century Game's other breakout hit Whiteout Survival.
Why this matters: Introducing a mini game version prior to distribution via app stores mirrors the company's previous approach with Whiteout Survival. This reflects an increasingly strategic use of WeChat's mini game ecosystem as a soft launch and early user acquisition platform for domestic games. WeChat's 2025 data indicates that strategy / simulation titles on the mini game platform grew by 180% YoY, with SLG, tower defense, merge, and MMO cited as the top four fastest-growing categories.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
Niko Partners is nominated for Mobile Analytics Tool of The Year
We’re excited to announce that Niko Partners has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Gaming on Phone Awards 2025 in the category of Mobile Analytics Tool of the Year. Voting is now open until September 21, and we’d love your support! Winners will be revealed on October 17 in Bangkok.
Chinese platforms deepen steam integration amid PC gaming growth
Major Chinese social media and messaging platforms are beginning to integrate with Valve's PC game distribution platform, Steam. On July 31, Bilibili launched a beta version of its Steam account binding feature, allowing users in its game community hubs to link their Steam libraries to their Bilibili profiles. A planned feature will allow viewers to add games directly to their Steam wishlists while watching trailers or game content on Bilibili, a potential conversion booster for PC game marketing. Tencent is now following suit across both WeChat and QQ.
Why this matters: While the global version of Steam continues to operate in a regulatory grey zone, given it is accessible in China without a VPN despite offering unlicensed games, its dominance among PC gamers has led to Chinese companies fully integrating the platform into their own ecosystems. These integrations will allow the platforms to track gamer behavior and update social and content recommendation algorithms, creating new pathways for personalized engagement around game-related content, livestreams, and UGC.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
NetEase shuts down its Texas based studio T-Minus Zero Entertainment
NetEase has officially shut down T-Minus Zero Entertainment, the Texas based studio founded in 2023 by BioWare veteran Rich Vogel, which had been developing a third-person sci-fi multiplayer action game. The studio had received backing from NetEase as part of its broader overseas expansion strategy. While NetEase did attempt to look for a new backer to support the studio, it ultimately made the decision to shut it down. This adds to a growing list of international studios affected by NetEase's recent strategic recalibration, including the downsizing or closure of SkyBox Labs (Canada), Jar of Sparks (US), Ouka Studio (Japan), and Worlds Untold (Canada).
Why this matters: Between 2019 and 2023, NetEase pursued an aggressive international expansion strategy, investing heavily in global PC and console development talent. However, since late 2024, the company has entered a period of consolidation amid rising global operating costs, increased game delays, and ongoing geopolitical headwinds. While some high-profile NetEase-backed studios such as Rebel Wolves (Poland) and Anchor Point Studios (Spain) have stated they are unaffected, the company appears to be shifting to a more selective and performance driven approach to global investments.
Papergames issues apology over Infinity Nikki pricing backlash
Papergames open-world RPG with dress up elements, Infinity Nikki, has faced community backlash just ahead of its highly anticipated v1.9 update, which introduces a long-teased housing system and a crossover event with Stardew Valley. On September 1, the developer issued a public apology, admitting it "failed to balance monetization with player experience" regarding the housing system's furniture pricing, and promised immediate changes. Players criticized the pricing, the fact that they would have to repurchase identical items to decorate multiple homes, and the massive 104GB pre-download size which is unrealistic for a mobile game.
Why this matters: The culmination of factors led to high dissatisfaction among the player base, forcing a response from Papergames. This incident underscores the growing importance of fair monetization practices in live-service and lifestyle games, especially in regard to China's increasingly vocal player community. Failure to do so can damage trust, overshadow content launches, and force costly rollbacks, even for titles with otherwise strong community goodwill. In this case, Papergames has said it will adjust pricing and give away certain content for free.
Niko Partners offers the deepest, most trusted data and insights into the Asia, Middle East, and North African video game and esports markets. Our customers rely on our semi-annual market models, research reports, NikoIQ online intelligence, and custom consulting to make the smartest business decisions.
Savvy Games Group looking to China and Asia for multi-billion dollar deals
Saudi Arabia backed Savvy Games Group is looking to close multi-billion dollar gaming deals in China and other Asian markets. CEO Brian Ward emphasized that current US-China tensions have created a strategic opening for Savvy, whose Riyadh headquarters offers a unique geographic and political advantage in bridging markets. Savvy was originally allocated $38 billion to invest across video games and esports in 2022, and has since acquired Western companies such as Scopely, Niantic, ESL and FACEIT.
Why this matters: Savvy sees the East and China as a natural next step to achieving its expansion goals, especially at a time when geopolitical tensions have somewhat frozen deals between US and Chinese companies. Savvy Games Group's pivot to Asia also reflects a reshaping of global deal flows in gaming, with the Middle East emerging as a key strategic intermediary. For Chinese firms, Riyadh's capital and neutrality may offer a rare path forward.
Krafton plans to invest $50 million annually in India to develop another hit game
Krafton, the South Korean publisher behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, is doubling down on its India strategy with a commitment to invest at least $50 million annually into the country. India is now one of Krafton’s top five markets globally, driven largely by the sustained popularity of PUBG Mobile and its localized counterpart Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI). The company is aiming to develop its next blockbuster IP within the Indian ecosystem while expanding its footprint through strategic acquisitions and partnerships.
Why this matters: To date, Krafton has invested approximately $200 million in India-based digital content and technology companies, representing around 9% of its total global investments. Recent activity includes the $14 million acquisition of Nautilus Mobile, the developer of popular cricket games like Real Cricket, and a $53 million investment in fintech platform Cashfree Payments. These moves reflect Krafton's broader interest in building a diversified portfolio across gaming, game-adjacent tech, and digital services in India.
Link to original article (Indonesian) →
Saudi Arabia continues its quest to dominate the Esports world as Qiddiya acquires EVO co-owner RTS
Saudi Arabian megaproject Qiddiya has fully acquired RTS, the operator of the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), a competitive esports event that focuses exclusively on fighting games. The announcement comes mere weeks after Sony Interactive Entertainment sold its share of EVO to Indian firm Nodwin Gaming, with both Nodwin and Qiddiya now jointly owning EVO. The Qiddiya megaproject forms part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to increase economic, social, and cultural diversification within the kingdom.
Why this matters: With this latest investment, Saudi Arabia becomes even more influential in the global esports landscape, controlling the biggest esports tournament for fighting games. It won't come as much of a surprise then, if the next EVO tournament will be hosted in Riyadh (within Qiddiya specifically). At the same time, concerns of sportswashing continue to be levied against Saudi Arabia by fans and players, most notably Dominique "SonicFox" McLean raising concerns over LGBTQ+ rights and representation under the new ownership.
3 Korean companies fined by KFTC for misleading in-game probability rate
On September 8, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) announced that it had imposed a total of KRW 22.5 million ($16,200) in fines and corrective orders on three domestic game companies that deceived consumers with in-game probabilistic items rate. The sanctions target Com2uS Holdings (for the games Soul Strike and Zenonia), Cosmos Entertainment (for Online Three Kingdoms 2), and mobile game company ITOXI (for Super Girls War).
Why this matters: KFTC has been actively engaged in ensuring that game companies provide the actual probability rates for lootboxes/gacha. Companies that have been fined over the past few years include KRAFTON, Gravity, Nexon, and Netmarble, among others. In this case, the fines were handed out as the companies conducted 'acts that lure or conduct transactions with consumers through false or deceptive methods' as stated in Article 21, Section 1, Item 1 of the 'Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce.
Link to original article (Korean) →
Events
Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo, Japan
September 25-28, 2025
Attendee: Lisa Hanson, Narinder Kapur