Xsolla: Local Payments Key To Southeast Asia Gaming Growth
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam generated about US$3.8 billion in video game revenue, or 68.5 per cent of Southeast Asia’s spending on mobile and personal computer (PC) games, according to a report by global video game commerce company Xsolla and Niko Partners. (US$1 = RM4.05)
The report, “Waking the Southeast Asian Giants: Players, Payments, and Localization in Three of Asia’s Most Exciting Markets”, was highlighted by Xsolla ahead of gamescom asia, being held in Bangkok from Oct 29 to Nov 1.
It said the three markets are expected to have about 226.1 million gamers in 2026, out of nearly 300 million in Southeast Asia, at a time when game developers face rising development costs and growing competition for players.
Xsolla Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, Berkley Egenes said the research showed that while players across Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam have a strong appetite for international video games, their local payment preferences, convenience, and value play a critical role in how they purchase.
According to Xsolla in a statement, local payment methods play a major role in how players pay for games, with e-wallets GoPay and DANA leading in Indonesia, and MoMo in Vietnam, while bank and QR payments, including PromptPay, are popular in Thailand.
Buying outside app stores is also gaining traction. In Vietnam and Indonesia, 51.2 per cent and 52.4 per cent of surveyed gamers respectively, use third-party payment platforms, while in Thailand, 44.8 per cent buy through official publisher web shops. Lower prices, faster checkout, rewards and access to preferred payment methods were the main reasons.
At the event, Xsolla is holding live demonstrations of its payments and web shop products, while its executives are speaking on game investment and on localised payments in Southeast Asia.
-- BERNAMA