Sega Singapore has appointed a new senior general manager of mobile publishing in the form of former global publishing team member at NetEase, Robin Ng.

According to Robin Ng’s LinkedIn post celebrating the fact, his role will focus on the publishing of mobile games for the South East Asia region “and more.” Sega recently acquired mobile games giant Rovio and has indicated that they will be focusing increasingly on the mobile market. With his previous experience with NetEase the appointment of Ng is another step down that journey.

Robin Ng is also not a stranger to publishing and development himself, as he most recently served as COO of Gravity Game Hub, developers of Ragnarok Origin, which is a remake itself of cult-classic MMORPG Ragnarok Online. The game’s simultaneous global release indicates how his previous experience may have benefited the company, a benefit Sega will be looking to replicate.

Poaching from the Net(Ease)

Although Ng was not previously in a major role at the global publishing team with NetEase, it’s safe to say that given the company’s formidable presence in China and South-East Asia, and the fact he was in position during the most turbulent times of the Covid-19 pandemic, we can assume he has a wealth of experience to offer. As senior general manager and with his role concentrating primarily on South East Asia, Sega are likely hoping to emulate the kind of success NetEase has seen with titles such as Eggy Party.

However, if Sega is indeed aiming to do battle with giants like NetEase and their peer Tencent, they may have a tough fight, especially with NetEase investing heavily in the opening of new studios across the world, including Japan and Canada. This broader focus may work in Sega’s favour however, as companies such as Tencent and NetEase now appear to be seeking to break into the wider global market after a series of hard blows domestically and in their biggest market, China, due to harsh legislative crackdowns.