Leading Thai game publisher Asiasoft expects Thailand’s online games turnover to reach US$132 million by 2014. The rapid growth of online gaming since 2009 has been attributed to the spread of broadband Internet, the large variety of games available and decreasing hardware prices.
In 2011, game publishers Asiasoft and True occupied over 50 per cent of the market share in Thailand. Key Thai game developers include Debuz, Digicrafts, Digitopolis Game Studio and Sanuk Software.
Thailand’s major game publishers also distribute their games online, often working with IPS partners as aggregator/distribution platforms. For casual and social games, web portals such as Sanook and Kapook act as substitutes for distributors and retailers, linking consumers directly to publishers.
MMORPGs are the most popular type of online games played in the country, capturing over half of the market, followed by FPS games with a 26 per cent share. According to Pipal Research, the growth of online gaming has also affected the Thai games value chain significantly, by removing physical distributors and retailers.
