Viewing time for esports tournaments in Japan surges, driven by Valorant, LOL, and SF6
According to Esports Insider, the amount of time spent watching live esports tournaments in Japan has grown by 27% in 2024, higher than the 15% increase in 2023. The main drivers are Valorant and League of Legends (LOL), boasting over 100 million minutes of viewing per quarter. Street Fighter 6 (SF6) has also seen high growth, with domestic viewing hours increasing by three times between 2023 and 2024. Other notable titles in Japan’s esports streaming scene include eFootball, Pokemon Unite, and Puyo Puyo eSports.
Why this matters: While Japan remains one of the smallest esports markets in Asia due to its late involvement with esports games and tournaments, the growth has been steady in the past few years. As a result, Japan also has a unique combination of popular esports titles, with globally popular titles such as Valorant and LOL sharing the stage with smaller esports titles such as SF6 or Pokemon Unite.
Link to original article (Japanese) →
Microsoft to hire new Business Development Lead for Xbox in China
Microsoft is actively recruiting a Gaming China Business Development Lead, a senior role within the Xbox Partnerships & Business Development team, signaling renewed strategic interest in expanding its gaming ecosystem within China. The position will be based in Shanghai, Beijing, or Shenzhen, and will serve as a core bridge between Microsoft’s global gaming assets (Xbox, Game Pass, PC, cloud, and streaming) and China’s complex developer, publisher, and platform environment.
Why this matters: While Microsoft’s Xbox consoles face stiff competition from Sony and Nintendo, not to mention regulatory challenges on hardware and game approvals, the growth of PC gaming and Xbox’s off console focus represent key opportunities for Microsoft to capitalize on. This move somewhat aligns with broader industry trends, including Sony’s renewed China Hero Project. The hire will also play a central role in market analysis, business modeling, portfolio forecasting, and validating the success of new launches and partnerships.
Niko Partners at gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025
Niko Partners will be moderating a panel at gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show 2025. Niko’s Director for Southeast Asia and East Asia Research Darang Candra will act as an moderator in a panel titled “Breaking Barriers: Expanding Global Game Profit Through Innovative Partnerships.” It will take place on Friday, October 17, 2025 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Bangkok. The panel will discuss about how developers can drive international growth by tapping into non-traditional app stores and direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels, with panelists from Coda, Xsolla, and Neon.
Niko Partners will be gamescom asia’s exclusive Knowledge Partner for the fourth year running. Use code NIKO10 for a 10% discount on Conference Delegate tickets.
Indonesia and China win big at China-ASEAN Esports Competition 2025
The China-ASEAN Esports Competition 2025 was held in Nanning, China between September 17-19. The tournament featured Valorant and Mobile Legends with prize pools of $21,116 and $21,087, respectively. There were 8 Valorant teams involved, consisting of 7 Southeast Asian teams and China. Meanwhile Mobile Legends had larger participating teams with 9 Southeast Asian teams and China.
Why this matters: This is the second annual event organized by the Asia Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) and other regional partners, aiming to foster friendly relations and digital culture exchanges between China and Southeast Asian countries. The Indonesian team earned the gold medal and $11,261 for Valorant, while China won the gold in MLBB, walking away with $11,247.
Link to original article (Indonesian) →
Borderlands 4 developer to host a pop-up event in Singapore
2K and Singaporean creative studio Tell Your Children announced an upcoming pop-up event to mark the launch of Borderlands 4 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC worldwide. A pop-up event will be held at WE ART @ Orchard, where fans can test the new co-op campaign and collect exclusive loot. Tell Your Children is known for campaigns with street-inspired art, with street-art reinterpretations of Borderlands characters like Claptrap and Psycho Bandit to be showcased.
Why this matters: Borderlands 4 is one of the most popular games on Steam. In the first 24 hours of its launch on September 12, the game hits over 200,000 concurrent players on Steam. This milestone surpasses the previous iteration of the game which reached 124,000 concurrent players. The pop-up event in Singapore, and Thailand, showcases 2K’s ability to see both countries as the centers of PC game growth in Southeast Asia.
Savvy Games Group signs MOU with Alinma Bank for gaming solutions
Savvy Games Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Alinma Bank to jointly develop customized banking solutions for gamers and esports enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia. Both entities are closely tied to the Saudi state. Savvy Games Group is wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Meanwhile, Alinma Bank is 30% owned by PIF, the Public Pension Agency (PPA), and the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI).
Why this matters: The partnership signals a strategic effort to integrate financial services more deeply into the country’s rapidly evolving video game ecosystem. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the National Gaming and Esports Strategy, which aims to position the Kingdom as a leading global hub for games and esports. It ultimately underscores the government’s intent to build a full-stack gaming ecosystem, including financial infrastructure.
The International 2026 to be held in Shanghai, China
The International 2026 (TI15), the largest Dota 2 esports tournament, will be hosted in Shanghai, China according to Valve. The announcement was made during the Grand Finals of The International 2025 (TI14), held in Hamburg, where Team Falcons defeated Xtreme Gaming to claim the championship. This will be the first International held in China since TI9 in 2019 and the first in Asia since TI11 in Singapore in 2021. Dota 2 is currently operated by Perfect World in China.
Why this matters: Dota 2 is still a popular game in China, particularly across its esports scene, but its overall dominance has declined as Chinese esports teams have failed to win on the international stage. However, our China Games & Livestreaming Tracker shows that Dota 2 was the #3 most viewed PC game in China last month, partially driven by TI14’s prominence. Hosting TI15 in Shanghai reinforces Valve’s commitment to Chinese fans and partners.
Link to original article (Chinese) →
SAMR opens antitrust investigation into Nvidia as it ends Google probe
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has launched an antitrust investigation into Nvidia, citing violations of the country’s anti-monopoly law and non-compliance with terms tied to its 2019 acquisition of Mellanox Technologies. The move marks a significant escalation in Beijing’s regulatory scrutiny of U.S. tech firms operating in China and comes just days after the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a ban on domestic companies purchasing Nvidia’s AI chips, including the RTX Pro 6000D.
Why this matters: This comes against the backdrop of renewed U.S.-China bilateral trade discussions, where topics such as TikTok, AI, and cross-border tech controls are high on the agenda. Simultaneously, SAMR has quietly closed its antitrust investigation into Google, which was launched in February without a public explanation. While no official reason was given for ending the probe, it had previously been linked to concerns over Google Play’s commission structure for in-app payments, a growing point of friction in global app ecosystem regulation.
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Tencent looks to dismiss Sony IP infringement case
Tencent has formally filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which alleges that Tencent’s upcoming title Light of Motiram infringes upon the intellectual property of the Horizon series. The legal dispute centers on claims that Tencent appropriated the tone, aesthetic, and thematic elements of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, which includes a red-haired female protagonist, post-apocalyptic settings, tribal-futuristic worldbuilding, and mechanical wildlife.
Why this matters: In its motion to dismiss, Tencent describes Sony’s claim as “an improper attempt to fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture,” arguing that Light of Motiram draws from broader genre conventions rather than protected IP elements. Prior to the filing, Tencent made substantial changes to Light of Motiram‘s public-facing materials on Steam. If Sony’s claim proceeds, it could set a precedent for how genre-defining elements are treated in IP law.
Kojima Productions celebrates 10th anniversary with new game announcements
At its “Beyond The Strand” event in Tokyo, Kojima Productions two upcoming titles: OD, a first-person horror game developed in partnership with Xbox, and Physint, a PlayStation-exclusive stealth action game that Hideo Kojima has described as a hybrid between interactive media and cinema. Kojima Productions also announced a collaboration with Niantic’s Spatial platform, hinting at an upcoming AR experience. Beyond games, the company revealed new cross-media and commercial ventures, including Death Stranding: Mosquito, an animated project based on the Death Stranding universe.
Why this matters: Kojima Productions’ multi-project announcement underscores a growing industry trend toward transmedia expansion and lifestyle branding. By diversifying across platforms (Xbox, PlayStation), mediums (animation, AR), and consumer products (financial services, beverages), the studio is positioning itself as a full-spectrum entertainment brand rather than a single-IP developer. It’s also indicative of the legacy that Hideo Kojima has been able to build as a legendary video game developer in the industry, with many following Kojima Productions itself, rather than individual IP or projects.
Lenovo cancels some Legion Go Gen 2 pre-orders due to higher than expected demand
Lenovo has begun cancelling select pre-orders for its upcoming Legion Go Gen 2 handheld gaming PC, citing that demand has “substantially exceeded” internal forecasts. The Legion Go Gen 2 is slated for release in October 2025 and marks Lenovo’s most aggressive push yet into the handheld gaming PC market, positioning itself against competitors like the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and Ayaneo 2S. Pricing starts at $1,099 for the base model featuring an AMD Z2 APU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD.
Why this matters: The surge in demand for the Legion Go Gen 2 highlights growing momentum for the premium PC Gaming Handheld segment, even as competitors like Valve and ASUS expand their own ecosystems. However, we note that this is still a very niche segment of the gaming hardware market, and it’s likely that supply chain and tariff impacts have also influenced production. For Lenovo, the supply shortfall raises short-term concerns around logistics and customer satisfaction.
Events
Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo, Japan
September 25-28, 2025
Attendee: Lisa Hanson
gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show
Bangkok, Thailand
October 16-19, 2025
Speaker: Darang Candra
