"Southeast Asia could become one of the most exciting centres for game development and esports"

• Garena Online senior director of game operations Krit Pattanateacha offers case studies on how Free Fire and Arena of Valor have succeeded in Southeast Asia.
• Pattanateacha believes there is massive potential in the region.
• Existing giants and a rising wave of indie and smaller studios can propel SEA's growth.

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Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea takes place on October 31st, offering insights into the Asia market and beyond.

As we lead up to the show, we've been reached out to speakers and local companies to get their views on the regional industry.

We spoke with Garena Online senior director of game operations Krit Pattanateacha about the state of the sector in Southeast Asia, who provided a comprehensive overview of the state of play.

This interview was conducted as part of our region spotlight, which you can view here.

PocketGamer.biz: How would you assess the Southeast Asian games scene at the moment?

Market landscape

1. Currently, the Southeast Asian gaming market is becoming more mature as internet penetration and smartphone adoption are more widespread across the countries within the region. So, we can say the infrastructure is favouring the growth of digital product usage, including games. 

2. Southeast Asia’s gaming ecosystem is thriving. According to Sensor Tower:

The region ranked as the world’s second-largest market for mobile game downloads in Q1 2025, recording 1.93 billion new installs (3% increase from the previous quarter). This underscores not only the region’s high level of user engagement but also the expanding demand for mobile gaming content.

In terms of monetisation, Southeast Asia ranked seventh globally in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue, generating $625 million in Q1 2025. Thailand led the region with $162 million in IAP revenue during the same period, reflecting the country’s strong consumer base and their appetite for in-game content.

3. As we expect the gaming market to continue to grow, competition will get increasingly fierce: 

Beyond the battle among games, a game also has to contend with other forms of entertainment for users’ time, engagement, and spending, particularly for the Gen Z, who place strong emphasis on individuality and self-expression.

Therefore, games have to be able to constantly provide that to the Gen Z players through engaging content, be it through online/in-app content or offline activities.

For millennials and Gen X gamers, gaming sticks as part of their lives. We’re seeing them returning to games, not just for fun, but for connection, nostalgia, and stress relief. These players prefer game genres that can be enjoyed more casually and have flexibility that fits into their busy lives.

Current trends

Garena has been in the gaming business since 2009 and now is operating in over 160 markets across the globe including key markets in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. During the past few years, we see a few key trends in the industry:

1. Hyper-localisation: Hyper-localisation is no longer optional, it’s essential. At Garena, we go far beyond language translation. We tailor in-game events around local festivals, integrate national symbols, and even highlight local heroes to build cultural relevance. 

For example, Thai New Year-themed maps and events both in-game and on-ground, these details build emotional resonance and deepen player engagement. Every market has unique socio-economic contexts, and we’re offering both virtual and real-world experiences that respect and reflect that.

Garena’s success case with EA Sports FC Online:

FC Online usually features legendary footballers as in-game characters, but in Thailand, the Garena team came up with a unique campaign based on local insights. 

Instead of professional footballers, our campaign features popular Thai actors and singers, such as Oat Pramote and Pong Kapol, who are known to be big football fans, as in-game characters. The movement went viral and was very well-received by the FC Online and football fan communities.

2. Immersive experiential events: Players today want more than just screen time, they want experiences. Garena has been at the forefront of creating immersive offline and hybrid events that bring the game world into the real world, turning fandom into lifestyle.

These experiences build stronger communities and give players ways to express identity, connect socially, and feel part of something bigger than the game itself.

Garena’s success case with Free Fire - NARUTO SHIPPUDEN event:

In August 2025, Free Fire hosted an experiential event ‘Free Fire All Stars: Ninja Clash’ in Bangkok in collaboration with NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, inviting Free Fire and anime fans to indulge in an immersive experience with Naruto’s Konoha Village, offering fans with a wide range of activities along with the exciting Free Fire showmatches from international Free Fire pro-players and influencers.

3. Cross-industry collaboration: Gaming no longer exists in a silo. We’re seeing major success in collaborating with industries like fashion, anime, music, and even FMCG to create fresh value for players and brands alike, transforming games into pop culture platforms. These partnerships expand our reach, attract new demographics, and turn gaming into a lifestyle ecosystem.

Garena’s success case with Arena of Valor (RoV) - RoV Day: T-Pop MVP Showmatch:

In July 2025, Arena of Valor (RoV) hosted the annual RoV Day 2025 event in Bangkok. This year, the event featured a grand showmatch by popular Thai Artist bands BUS and PROXIE. The event highlighted RoV’s growing presence as a pop culture phenomenon that connects the worlds of gaming, entertainment, and fandom.

PocketGamer.biz: What opportunities and challenges do you see in Southeast Asia's games industry? 

Opportunities

1. Massive user base and rising monetisation potential:

Southeast Asia recorded 1.93 billion mobile game downloads in Q1 2025, making it the second-largest market globally by installs (Sensor Tower). This highlights the immense user potential across the region, which is home to a combined population of over 700 million.

Mobile-first behaviour, particularly in emerging economies such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, continues to accelerate adoption. However, while install numbers are strong, monetisation is still developing. Southeast Asia generated $625 million in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue in Q1 2025, ranking seventh globally, suggesting significant growth potential as payment ecosystems mature and user willingness to pay increases.

2. Improving infrastructure: 

5G rollouts in major cities across Southeast Asia are enabling cloud gaming and competitive multiplayer formats.

Smartphones have become an integral part of daily life in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, for example, there were about 99.5 million active mobile connections in early 2025, equivalent to 139% of the population. This high penetration has firmly established mobile gaming as the dominant segment, offering developers direct access to a broad and continuously expanding player base.

Digital payments are advancing and widely adopted, enabling more seamless game-related purchases.

3. Esports and community growth: 

Southeast Asia boasts over 200 million esports viewers, and countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia are key hubs.

Esports is now a medal sport at the Southeast Asian Games, legitimising its place in mainstream sports.

Local publishers, streaming platforms (YouTube Gaming, TikTok Live), and homegrown talents are fostering a strong creator economy, especially in mobile-first games like Free Fire, and RoV.

Challenges

1. Market fragmentation and localisation complexity: 

The gaming market is becoming more fragmented due to many reasons, such as diversity of platforms and devices available, and shifting consumer behavioirs. Garena has been in the gaming scene since 2009 and is now operating in over 160 markets across the globe. Yet, every day, we continue to learn new things about our users and adapt to their evolving preferences.

Moreover, Southeast Asia isn’t a single market, it’s a region consisting of 11 countries with distinct languages, cultural contexts, and digital behavioir. While this presents a complex market dynamic, it also presents an opportunity for game developers and publishers to find a way to bridge the gap and better engage the users.

Every market has unique contexts, and we’re offering both virtual and real-world experiences that respect and reflect that. In-game content, campaigns, and monetisation strategies also need to be aligned with local cultural norms and sensitivities in each market.

This extends to community management, which must be localised; effective social media campaigns and influencer partnerships demand country-specific strategies, native-speaking community managers, and deep cultural insight. 

Garena’s success case with Arena of Valor (RoV) - Arena of ThaiRhythm:

A month‑long Songkran-themed campaign in April 2025 with various touch points to engage with different groups of players. 

In-game content: Players could get various free hero skins and coupons daily across servers. 

Social media and music marketing: We also worked with Thai’s KoLs and artists - Zbing z. and D Gerrard to release exclusive new Songkran hero skins called “Nang Songkran Teeri” and “Raz Summer Dance” along with campaign theme song that Thai gamers would enjoy. 

On-ground experience for the RoV community: Beyond in-game and online content, Garena RoV Thailand also featured an offline experience by turning CentralWorld, one of Bangkok's liveliest spots during the festival, into an immersive RoV‑themed Songkran festival with many activities for the community to meet and have fun together, such as concert, game booths, and esports showmatch.

The combination created a truly unique experience and sense of community that they are a part of.

Apart from cultural diversity, Garena also accounts for mobile device fragmentation, which refers to the diversification of mobile devices used to access and play games, ensuring our games remain accessible and user experiences seamless across all devices. 

Free Fire, Garena’s self-developed mobile battle royale title, was built with inclusivity at its core. Its lightweight design and ability to run seamlessly across a wide range of mobile specifications effectively address the challenge of device fragmentation, ensuring that players, regardless of the phone they own, can enjoy the game. 

2. Shortage of talent: 

Despite being one of the most digitally active regions globally, Southeast Asia continues to face a shortage of skilled game development talent. It is not uncommon to see top developers pursue opportunities in more mature gaming markets, creating a persistent talent gap in the region. 

In Indonesia, for example, it is said locally developed games only account for 5% of the market share.

Meanwhile, local education systems are developing programs that offer specialised training in critical areas such as game design, 3D animation, systems architecture, and live operations. 

Garena’s success case with Garena Game Jam in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and more to come:

• Garena Game Jam is an event open to gaming enthusiasts to bring their ideas to life. With a mystery theme revealed just days before, participants are challenged to ideate, code, design, and test their games within a short period of time.
• Garena Game Jam underscores Garena’s commitment to nurturing creative communities and fostering innovation in game development across its markets. 
• Since 2023, the programme has landed in Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore, connecting aspiring game creators with a vibrant ecosystem of peers and professionals. 
• Beyond Game Jam, Garena also champions youth talent through esports, content creation support, and broader creative platforms — building a stronger, more inclusive digital ecosystem.
• More details in our Garena Game Jam media kit.

PocketGamer.biz: What is your outlook for the sector? If we speak again in five years, where do you hope Southeast Asia's games market will be? 

Looking ahead five years, we believe Southeast Asia’s games market will be approaching the level of sophistication we see in today’s most developed gaming markets, where gaming is not just entertainment but a mainstream cultural and economic force.

By then, we hope to see broader acceptance of digital products and in-app purchases, supporting sustainable growth for both global and local developers.

At the same time, AI will play an increasingly central role. Even now, AI is transforming game development and player experiences, and in the next five years we expect these innovations to become mainstream.

This convergence of market maturity and technological advancement could position the region as one of the most dynamic and innovative gaming hubs in the world.

PocketGamer.biz: What more do you want for the region's games scene? I.e. more support from the government, more investment in general? 

Stronger collaboration between governments, universities, and the games industry, particularly in building game-related education and training programs. 

Southeast Asia has incredible creative potential and some of the world’s most engaged gaming communities, but there remains a shortage of skilled talent in areas like programming, engineering, and live operations. 

If universities, supported by both government and private sectors, can create practical, future-ready curricula, covering areas like game design, 3D animation, and systems architecture, we can not only retain and nurture talent, but also grow strong local studios and position Southeast Asia as a global hub for game development, yielding meaningful impact on the wider community.

Garena’s success case with Garena Academy in Thailand:

• In 2022, we launched the Garena Academy in Thailand, a platform designed to equip the next generation with the skills and knowledge required for future careers in the gaming industry, offering comprehensive information and resources on various career paths within the gaming industry. 
• The platform was designed to help educators and parents better understand the industry and provide clear guidance to students who are interested in pursuing these specific fields. This initiative underscores our commitment to nurturing local talent and fostering the growth of the regional gaming industry.

At the same time, we see esports as a huge opportunity. 

Southeast Asia already boasts one of the highest esports engagement rates globally, 94% of the population is aware of esports, and 75% have watched at least once. 

The success of events like Arena of Valor Premier League 2025 in Bangkok, which attracted 16,000 fans on-site and over 640,000 live viewers across the region, proves the market’s potential. 

With the right investment and ecosystem support, Southeast Asia could become one of the most exciting centres for both game development and esports worldwide.

PocketGamer.biz: Who do you see as the key players in the Southeast Asian games scene in 2025?

Key players remain the leading publishers and developers who continue to drive scale and industry growth. However, what’s particularly exciting is the rising wave of indie and smaller studios.

These teams are less focused on competing in size, and more on building deep connections with local communities through storytelling, art, and gameplay that reflect the region’s cultural identity.

We’re also seeing strong momentum from local publishers. According to Sensor Tower, Southeast Asia-based publishers led the world in mobile downloads in Q1 2025, with several Vietnamese publishers breaking into the global top 15.

This shows that even smaller local teams are capable of producing games with global resonance, and we expect this trend to accelerate as the region’s creative ecosystem matures.

Learn more about Asia's games industry at Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Korea 2025 on October 31st.