Video games in Thailand
Video games are a rapidly growing industry in Thailand, with an average growth rate of 15% per year since 2017.
The number of gamers in Thailand also reached 32 million according to a report by Newzoo, an international games and esports analytics and market research group.
[3] The earliest video games in Thailand date back to 1977, with the launch of the Atari 2600 as the first home console system, but it was not well received.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) was released in Japan in 1990 and saw great success in Thailand due to its expansive game library and accessories.
The Xbox 360 was released in 2005, but it failed to gain popularity in Thailand due to the widely reported issue known as the "Red Ring of Death".
On the other hand, the Wii, launched and distributed in Thailand in 2006, was well received by Thai adults who enjoyed using it for exercising or playing sports.
Many foreign online games were imported and published in Thailand, with the majority coming from South Korea and Japan.
Around 2006–2007, the online game industry shifted to a free-to-play model, with companies earning revenue through selling in-world merchandise.
In 2005, the company released "CEO City", a city-building game that incorporated Thai cultural elements, which gained a cult following and remains a beloved title among fans of the genre in Thailand.
[16] "The House", a flash horror game developed by Sinthai Studio, was released in 2005 and quickly gained popularity.
: Extinction Agenda is a 2.5D side-scrolling action platform game released on December 14, 2010, and developed by Extend Studio.
Timelie is a single-player stealth puzzle game where a young woman with time-controlling abilities must escape hostile robots in an unfamiliar dimension, while Kingdoms Reborn is a city builder that allows players to construct and manage a procedurally-generated world map with simulated citizens.
The government's involvement in promoting esports has helped the industry to grow, with revenue expected to reach $5.94 million in 2022 and an annual growth rate of 12.25% from 2022 to 2027.
While the industry still faces challenges due to traditional attitudes towards video games, the Thai government and leading educational institutes, such as the Thailand E-Sports Federation (TESF), are working to develop esports curricula to generate competitive gamers to represent Thailand internationally.
"[42] In 2015, both Newzoo and Niko Partners have stated to expect a massive growth in revenue of video games in Thailand and other Southeast Asia countries in following years.
[44][45][2] In February 2023, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) jointly launched the 'depa Thai Game Industry to Global' program to support the growth of the Thai gaming industry on an international level.
[46] The program was developed with various partners, including the Thai Game Software Industry Association (TGA), Infofade, Southeast Asia Center of Asia-Pacific Excellence Wellington Creative, and Lane Street Studio.
In 2022, the Thailand Game Show was held on October 21–23 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) and broke the record for a three-day event with over 160,000 attendees.
[2][57][58] In 2008, copies of the already controversial Grand Theft Auto IV were mass recalled in Thailand after an 18-year-old high school student stabbed a cab driver to death.
[59][60] After the 2014 Thai coup d'état, Thailand's military junta the National Council for Peace and Order banned Bulgarian video game Tropico 5, in which players can act out the role of a dictator in an island state.
