Twelve local startup game companies have been awarded reimbursement grants ranging from HK$450,000 to HK$550,000 to promote themselves in the global video game industry and advance their prospects for success.
The Hong Kong Game Enhancement & Promotion Scheme recently hosted its awards ceremony, aimed at supporting local startups in achieving commendable outcomes.
The chairman of the Scheme organizer Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association, Gabriel Pang Tsz-kit, noted that the Scheme — which has been launched for four years — has seen favorable results as about one-third of the subsidized companies being profitable and one out of them even generating revenues exceeding HK$10 million.
Pang noted that most startup game companies under the Scheme recorded download figures ranging from 500,000 to one million.
Chris Choi, the developer of a mobile rhythm game in which players tap along to the beat, stated that he utilized the grant of HK$550,000 for marketing endeavors, which led to significant success.
His game has attracted a significant number of players from the Mainland, Hong Kong, as well as Japan, Europe and the US, with downloads exceeding one million and revenue surpassing HK$10 million.
As the Chinese gaming industry matures, local game developers, including Jacky Chou, are seizing the opportunity to engage with this expanding market.
Chou’s game has also received support from the Scheme, and he added that the Scheme not only helped arrange game testers to provide feedback on how they could improve the game but also offered a diverse range of training, including guidance on marketing strategies and attracting investors.
He leveraged the funding to collaborate with key opinion leaders for comprehensive advertising campaigns, as well as to promote the game offline at various exhibitions.
