SINGAPORE - Singapore tops the list of annual spending per player for games in South-east Asia, according to a study by game-market research firm Newzoo. Singaporeans spent an average of US$189 (S$250) each last year on games across all platforms, more than five times as much as the next highest-spending country in the region - Malaysia, at US$33.
But not many would know that Singapore developers also produce some of the best games out there? We give a shout-out to five locally developed games that have done well:
1. Brave Frontier (by Gumi Asia)
In this mobile fighting game, players assemble a team of five to six characters to battle monsters. Since the title was translated into 12 languages in December 2013, it has garnered more than 20 million downloads.
Last June, it even joined the top 10 grossing games at the Apple and Google Play stores. It also topped the Readers' Choice poll in The Straits Times Digital Life Awards last year.
2. Monster Blade (by Nubee)
Gamers use finger-swipe commands to execute attacks, dodges and blocks. They need a keen eye, fast fingers and good hand-eye coordination as they take on creatures such as a three-headed hydra and a fire-breathing dire wolf.
The game reached the million-download mark within two months of its launch in June 2013, and has been downloaded more than 2.5 million times.
3. Pixel People (by LambdaMu Games)
This game chalked up over two million downloads within three months of its release in January 2013, and was named the top Editor's Choice pick in the DL Awards last year.
Pixel People lets gamers create characters who help build a new city. One needs to mix and match the DNAs of the various dwellers in the virtual city to create new occupants with new occupations, and there are 155 characters in all to discover.
4. Autumn Dynasty (by Touch Dimensions)
A real-time strategy game, Autumn Dynasty puts players in the role of a general in ancient China, building fortresses and training soldiers to secure territories. It was named one of the top five "New Ways to Play" iPad games in Apple's official Mac App Store Best of 2012 awards. It also garnered an impressive 85 per cent on review aggregator site Metacritic.
A sequel, Autumn Dynasty Warlords, was launched last year and named top Editor's Choice pick in this year's DL Awards.
5. Puzzle Trooper (by Gumi Asia)
Another locally developed game that passed the million-download mark, Puzzle Tropper takes your standard match-three puzzle game and infuses it with a cartoon army theme.
It was released in June 2013.
