TRUE GROUP FOUNDS TRUE AXION JV TO BECOME THE ONLY AAA GAME DEVELOPER IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, SETS UP WORLD-CLASS GAME STUDIO
• The company will leverage on Axion Venture’s global game expertise & True’s leadership in integrated telecommunication
• Gamers can have a sneak preview of True Axion’s debut game, INVICTUS, at Thailand Game Show 2018 on 26-28 October 2018 at Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon.
Bangkok, 11 October 2018 – True Group is taking a significant step to expand its presence in the fast-growing game industry in Southeast Asia and around the world, making its debut with INVICTUS mobile game, developed by True Axion Interactive (TAI), a joint venture between True Corporation and Axion Venture from Canada
Mr. Birathon Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya, True Corporation Plc’s Chief Content & Media Officer, said True Group will leverage on Axion Venture’s expertise in the global game industry and its own strength as the leading integrated telecommunication enterprise as well as contents in Thailand. TAI brought in international talents from the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia and China together with developed local team to form a highly capable workforce in order to create world-class game studio that is ready to export new game products from Thailand
Mr. Birathon said games are the key segment of global content businesses, far exceeding the market shares of movies and music. In Thailand and Southeast Asia, there is considerable room for game developers to grow. So far, about 97 percent of games available in the region were imported intellectual properties. With the debut of INVICTUS, he expects that INVICTUS will place Thailand in the forefront of the global game market with its premium production quality and set higher standard for the industry.
He added that TAI is looking to change the perception of the Thai society on games and illustrate the value of games in term of job creation – for whether as game developers, professional gamers and game casters. This group of game lovers can make sustainable income – similar to those in other professions.
Ms. Nithinan Boonyawattanapisut, TAI’s Chief Executive Officer, said INVICTUS is a new entry to an untapped sub-genre of real-time card-controlled PvP action fighting games, with stunning realistic-style graphics. The game will be opened for a sneak preview at Thailand Game Show 2018 on 26-28 October 2018 at the Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, in order to promote the game among the target local gamers as well as demonstrate the capability and potential of Thai game developers to global gamers. The most important objective is to also allowing Thai gamers to be a crucial part of the creation of the game by providing first-hand feedback to INVICTUS developers/designers directly at the booth. And for those who are keen to be closed-beta testers, there will be an opportunity to register during Thailand Game Show as well.The official launch of INVICTUS is expected in the first quarter of 2019.
“Our goal is to become the best game developer capable of creating AAA-quality games in Southeast Asia and a driving force of the Thai economy. We position to become the most capable game development studio in the region by leveraging Axion Games’ business model and industry expertise with support from True Corporation when it comes to publishing and media. Currently, TAI has over 85 developers, and plans to make 3 mobile and 1 PC-online games within the next 24 months,” Ms. Nithinan said.
According to Ms. Nithinan, global game market in 2017 exceeded the industry’s general expectation at USD121.7 billion, vastly outnumbering revenue of music and movie industries combined. In 2018, the global games market is expected to generate USD137.9 billion in revenue, of which 51% of the global revenue is expected to come from mobile games. The global games market is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 11% during 2012-2021 due to the significant growth in mobile games revenue. The second and third largest game segments are console and PC games. For Southeast Asia, game market is estimated to generate the total revenue of about USD2.2 billion in 2017 and the active gamer base of approximately 135 million. Top markets in the region are Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
