M’sian gaming studio acquired for US$1 mil, sets eyes on GameFi and Vietnam expansion

KL-based Mason Games Sdn Bhd today announced its acquisition by Iglobsys Technology Sdn Bhd for US$1 million.

The acquisition takes place one year after the establishment of Mason Games in July 2021, and is set to bolster the studio’s growth in various areas, including the embarkment of their maiden blockchain game project.

Mason Games also plans to set up a game development office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in Q4 2022.

Part of the funds will also go into hiring the right talents, as Mason Games shared in a press release that they have more ambitious gaming projects of the casual and strategy genre for Android and iOS lined up.

After all, these new complex game genres will require extensive development time and testing before they are ready for release.

Still quite a young studio, Mason Games is a developer of casual and strategy mobile games with an Asian influence.

Some of their titles include Math Cat Boxing, Scoopy, Monkey Madness, Food Delivery Biker, and more.

In a previous press release circa October 2021, CEO and co-founder of Mason Games, Daryl Lau, explained, “Our goal is to create a sense of belonging and local representation by incorporating Asian elements into our games that are unique to the region.”

“Many online games that have an Asian element tend to have a version or perception of Asia that people who live here may not fully identify with.”

This goal can certainly be seen in some of their games, like Monkey Madness and Food Delivery Biker, I’d say.

From game retailing to publishing

Mason Games is the brainchild of digital marketing and ecommerce veteran, Daryl after an 11-year career with Singapore-based online retail and distribution platform, OffGamers.

Daryl’s decision to leave OffGamers was inspired by his passion to become a publisher and developer himself in the video gaming industry. 

He believes that the publishing scene is a people-based industry where ideas, creativity, and effort from various individuals are thrown into the mix to produce excellent end products. 

The idea of Mason Games stemmed from the many conferences Daryl has attended as means of keeping up-to-date with industry developments and staying ahead of the competition. 

“One of the conferences I attended last year focused on hyper-casual games. After being exposed to the industry and the hard data that was shown in the sessions, I had a gut feeling that hyper-casual games have great untapped potential, especially in Asia,” Daryl told MARKETING Magazine. 

The Southeast Asia Gaming Market report in January 2022 stated that the gaming market in SEA is expected to register a CAGR of 8.5% over the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. 

Digitally transforming companies

Established in 2018, Iglobsys Technology Sdn Bhd aims to bring Digital Transformation (DX) technologies to clients across various industries in Southeast Asia. 

Specialising in big data analytics and blockchain technology, the KL-based company has a presence in Singapore, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Its director Jackie Chong said the acquisition of Mason Games is a good opportunity for the firm to enter the consumer business as it has the “potential to amass an extensive database of users over a short time”.

Via the acquisition, Mason Games is likely in the right hands to explore and invest resources in projects in the web3 space, such as Gamefi or play-to-earn blockchain games.

Featured Image Credit: The founding team of Mason Games