Speech by Ms Angeline Poh, Assistant Chief Executive (Industry) for the Media Development Authority, at DigiPen's Media Event on 20 July 2015, at Lobby of SIT@SP

Good Morning,
Mr Jason Chu, Chief Operating Officer International, DigiPen Institute of Technology,
Mr Takao Yamane, General Manger, Licensing Department, Nintendo,
Members of the press, distinguished guests, friends from the games industry, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to join all of you today to celebrate the opening of “DGS”. DigiPen is a leader in game development education and Nintendo is one of the largest video game companies in the world. So this collaboration between these two significant players marks a milestone in Singapore’s gaming sector. The Media Development Authority is honoured to play a part in supporting this partnership.

Singapore’s game sector is going through an exciting phase. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 47% in nominal value added from 2010 to 2013¹, our games sector has become the fastest growing media sector. Singapore’s video game revenue is also forecast to exceed half a billion US dollars by 2018². The growth of the game industry ecosystem is supported by the availability of a skilled workforce, strong IT and market connectivity and a robust intellectual property rights protection regime. We are now home to leading game and tech companies such as Gumi Asia, Tecmo Koei, Ubisoft, Garena and Unity Technologies, as well as promising homegrown studios like Touch Dimensions and Daylight Studios, which have created award-winning games enjoyed by gamers worldwide.

Over the years, MDA has been offering support in game development, marketing and talent enhancement. Hence we appreciate Digipen and Nintendo’s partnership to strengthen our game ecosystem with the launch of DGS. DGS will provide our aspiring game developers with new opportunities to realise their dreams of making great games. Creating a game for Nintendo is no easy feat. So the team at DGS will raise the quality of game development standards here by providing mentorship, technical and publishing support to qualifying developers and their projects.

We recognise that for Singapore’s developers to create commercially successful games, they need to think about the whole value chain. This starts with generating a story idea, to developing the game, to publishing and marketing the game and cultivating a fanbase. Moving forward, MDA is actively looking for opportunities to work with industry partners to incubate promising local start-ups and accelerate their growth in these areas, and ultimately groom them for global success.

Finally, I would like to take this time to also remember and honour Nintendo’s late President, Mr Satoru Iwata, who recently passed away on 11 July.

Iwata-san once said, “On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.”

Iwata never shied away from characterising Nintendo as a “games first” company and the world remembers him for his steadfast belief in innovation. His legacy serves as a reminder to us of how far one can go when they never give up on their ideas.

We hope that the partnership between DigiPen and Nintendo in Singapore will not only see fresh ideas being realised, but to also continue to demonstrate Iwata-san’s inventive spirit and dedication to making great games.

I wish DigiPen and Nintendo a fruitful partnership, and everyone a good day ahead!

¹Singapore Department of Statistics

²Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), 11 June 2014, Seizing the initiative: as growth goes digital, advertising spearheads the migration. Retrieved from: http://www.pwc.com/sg/en/