On 18 November 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and UOA Holdings Sdn. Bhd. (UOA Holdings). This MoU signals the two companies to cooperate in joint efforts to set up a Game Hub in Bangsar South with the mutual objective of enhancing Malaysia’s game industry.
Under the terms of the MoU, MDEC will facilitate the search for local talents and provide programs to train and enhance their skills, whilst UOA Holdings will provide the infrastructure for a gaming hub situated in Bangsar South, and jointly work with MDEC in promoting these facilities.
Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, MDEC, applauded the collaboration: "Malaysia has an exceptional talent pool for the game industry, and the world is beginning to sit up and take notice. It is important that we continue to press forward in building a world-class ecosystem that enables our local talents to strive for excellence, putting us on the path to becoming the Game Hub for the region.
The programs and initiatives that we have – together with excellent infrastructure and facilities provided by UOA Holdings – will allow our local talents to come together to learn and grow their skills in a conducive, competitive environment.”
UOA Holdings welcomed the MoU saying: “We are proud to be partnering MDEC in building a Digital Malaysia. We understand that the backbone of a thriving nation is its people, and to provide an avenue to equip and grow human capital with the right skills and knowledge is vital.
This MoU allows us to offer our expertise in achieving that - keeping pace with the changing landscape and adding value to what we do. We look forward to contributing to the nation’s digital transformation.”
In an effort to position Malaysia as the preferred regional hub for games development and delivery, and into a World-Class Regional Game Hub in SEA Mandated, MDEC plans to build upon Malaysia’s existing digital content sector, which includes attracting anchor companies, increasing local games capacity & capability and raising global market access.
This year alone, the local gaming industry has demonstrated tremendous progress with several international game companies investing and collaborating with local players, such as Streamline Studios for their collaboration with Square Enix for FINAL FANTASY XV, which will be released on 29 November 2016, as well as Passion Republic on their experience working with Naughty Dog for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. BANDAI NAMCO Studios Inc. also officially announced the opening of its Kuala Lumpur studio.
Last but not least, just last week, LEVEL UP KL 2016, the premier South-East Asia gaming conference which took place in Kuala Lumpur, attracted over 500 participants ranging from game developers, investors, game publishers and technology providers, from both local and international games industry. Over 40 key industry players worldwide also took part in the five-day event to share knowledge, make connections and form business partnerships.
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