The “game community” has become more crowded when more and moreinformation and communication technology firms jump on the bandwagon.Vietnam Net online newspaper reports.
Internetservice firms (digital content, e-commerce, social networks, online ads)now tend to jump into the online game sector which is believed to bringbig profit to them. VC Corp, Vat Gia and VNPay are among them.
The internet service market began showing big difficulties in late2012 following the economic downturn. The software industry only got theturnover of 1.21 billion USD, a modest growth rate of 3 percent, muchlower than that in previous years.
The e-commerce, which made considerable progress in the years before, became stagnant in the economic recession.
The turnover of digital content firms reached 1.24 billion USD in2012, up by 6 percent. However, the growth was attributed mainly to thesteady growth rate of the online game sector.
Therefore, the online game industry has caught special attention fromICT firms. A recent report said that Vietnam has become the fastestgrowing online game market in Southeast Asia. In 2012, the industryharvested a turnover of 5 trillion VND (235 million USD), an increase of20 percent over 2011.
In the eyes of ICT firms,creating games is the quickest way for anyone to make money. However, ithad never been the focus of ICT firms until recently. It was justconsidered the way of making money for short term, because the games’“life expectancy” is not long, while ICT firms strive for sustainableand long term value.
Especially, some ICT firms even thought that making games may spoil the firms’ images.
However, they have changed their mind, when technology investors havebecome more cautious with their investments and start-ups find it moredifficult to receive investments. Some firms have got exhausted incapital after a long period of operation.
In suchconditions, making games is the first thing internet firms think of,because the job can bring money to help them survive the currentdifficulties.
Internet firms have great advantagesto join the games market. Their advanced infrastructure systems areready for making games.
Soha Game, a subsidiary ofVC Corp, for example, has become one of the leading game distributorsthanks to the application of high technologies in the gamesdistribution.
Analysts have noted that in thecontext of the great potentials of the Vietnamese game market, it is noweasier than ever to buy games from partners or join forces with othersto develop games.
Internet firms can also use theirstaff who have basic knowledge on the system administration, onlinemarketing and game operation for the new business field.
What’s the 2014 games market like?
Vuong Quoc Than Thoai (mythological kingdom) is a game of Vat Gia, acompany which once stated that it would never join the game industry.Huyen Thoai Anh Hung (the legend of a hero) has been made by VNPay, anelectronic payment portal.
VNPay’s General Directorstated on a local newspaper in an interview that the firm has jumpedinto the online game industry. More games are expected to be launchedinto the PC-based online game market, thus making the market morecrowded.-VNA