Recently, there has been a significant increase in inquiries from operators about the Malaysian card game market, indicating that the market has gradually caught the attention of domestic operators looking to expand overseas.
The Malaysian card game market benefits from a favorable market environment and infrastructure, making it highly suitable for the development of card and casual games. For card games going overseas, the Malaysian market is definitely worth paying attention to.
Malaysia: A Fertile Ground for Card Game Development
Malaysia is one of the most promising markets in Southeast Asia. According to statistics, Malaysian players spend a total of $673 million on games, with a high payment ratio of 87%. Malaysia is also one of the largest gaming markets in Southeast Asia, with a per capita GDP of $12,000 and a smartphone penetration rate of over 85%, providing convenient conditions for the development of card games in Malaysia.
Historically, Southeast Asia has been the preferred region for Chinese card games to go overseas, and Malaysia, with its large Chinese population, is undoubtedly even more suitable for the landing and development of domestic card games.
Language Choices for Malaysian Card Games
When taking card games overseas, attention must be paid to the choice of game languages. Malaysia has three main languages: Chinese, English, and Malay, with English being the primary language of choice in games due to its widespread use in Malaysia.
It is worth mentioning that there are many Chinese-speaking Malaysians, and Chinese is also widely used by a significant portion of the population in Malaysia, so it should not be overlooked when taking card games overseas to Malaysia.
Regulatory Attitude Towards Card Games in Malaysia
Officially, gambling-related card games are illegal in Malaysia, which is related to the Islamic faith in Malaysia. However, there are many non-Muslims and Chinese in Malaysia, so there is still considerable room for development for online card games despite the legal regulations.
Moreover, with the ongoing spread of COVID-19, both the number of games and the number of players in the Malaysian online card game market have increased significantly. To counter the economic downturn, the Malaysian government's attitude towards online card games has gradually become ambiguous, and regulations are being relaxed to stimulate economic development and generate more tax revenue. Therefore, the official regulation should not be a barrier for card games going overseas to Malaysia.
Social Media for Malaysian Card Games
WhatsApp, similar to WeChat in China, is used by over 22 million of Malaysia's 35 million population for instant messaging. Card games going overseas to Malaysia can leverage WhatsApp for communication with players or for customer service.
Facebook also has a large user base in Malaysia, and using Facebook for game promotion can make it easier for Malaysian card game players to access the games. However, it is advisable for card games to allow logging in with a Facebook account to enhance user experience and save the process of registering a new account.
Conclusion
The Malaysian card game market still has significant room for growth and is very much worth the attention of entrepreneurs looking to expand overseas. However, as the intensity of Chinese card games going overseas continues to increase, the future Malaysian card game market may gradually become saturated, which should be noted by entrepreneurs.
In conclusion, now is a good time for card games to go overseas to Malaysia, and it is an opportunity that should be seized.
