The 2017 Taipei Game Show opened to the public on Jan. 20 at the Taipei World Trade Center, showcasing 311 exhibitors from 26 countries with 1,550 booths. The five-day annual event celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, and like last year, featured an entertaining zone (the “B2C Area”), a business zone (the “B2B Zone”) and the third Asia Pacific Game Summit.
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The two-day “B2B Zone” opened on Jan. 19, focusing on business matching and game IP trading. Gamers, starting from Jan. 20, were able to experience online games, mobile games, console games, virtual reality (VR) games and live streaming events at the “B2B Zone.” The show’s lineup included big names such as PlayStation, SEGA Games, Ubisoft, Google Play, and HTC Vive, and also featured an indie game section.
According to Newzoo, a leading source for gaming industry information, the Asia-Pacific region is leading the global market with revenue of US$50.1 billion in 2017, 47 percent of the total market. China, Japan and South Korea account for the majority that, but Southeast Asia is also growing rapidly.
Taiwan has about 12.8 million gamers, with around 600,000 serious competitive gamers, and local eSports tournaments attracted more than 150,000 viewers in 2016. Newzoo reports the eSports economy grew to US$493 million in 2016 and is expected to earn US$1 billion in 2019.
Though eSports has yet to be defined as a specific industry in Taiwan, discussions have been held within the government due to local teams and players often struggling to attend global competitions. Meanwhile, many Taiwanese companies, such as ASUS, MSI and HTC, already have a major focus on the industry, and equipment designed by these brands is often seen at international tournaments.
Editor: Edward White
