Malaysians spent nearly RM2.8 billion on games in 2019

Gaming is a popular pastime among Malaysians, with many youngsters hanging out at the local mamak to game. But we probably didn’t expect Malaysians to spend $673 million (~RM2.765 billion) on games in 2019, making us one of the biggest games markets in Southeast Asia.

There were apparently 20.1 million gamers who contributed to this impressive figure, with 75% of them playing on mobile, while 66% of them are PCMR and console gamers sit at 55%. With the increasing popularity of mobile games and gaming smartphones, that’s not surprising at all.

So what did Malaysian gamers spend on? According to Newzoo‘s data, 87% splurged on in-game items or virtual goods. Most of the items bought are power-ups. The report goes on to reveal that 50% of them were purchasing in-game items in Candy Crush Saga, and 46% played Candy Crush Soda Saga. Once again, not surprising given the reliance on the free-to-play business model of most recent mobile games. Another popular game in Malaysia was Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, yet another game which can see players spending ludicrous amounts of money just for skins.

Did you spend on games this past year? The only game I purchased in 2019 was Cyberpunk 2077, as I do expect it to be one awesome game.

Pokdepinion: While everyone says times are hard, it’s surprising to see this much spent on entertainment…