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OPENING REMARKS BY MR MANOHAR KHIATANI, ASSISTANT MANAGING DIRECTOR, INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD, AT THE UBISOFT-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT ON MONDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2008, 2.00PM
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Interactive and Digital Media, or IDM, is an exciting and rapidly growing global industry. Some of the biggest names in entertainment today are digital media companies, and blockbuster game sales are now outstripping Hollywood box-office takings. According to the PriceWaterhouse Coopers’ Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, the global videogames industry was a US$37 billion market in 2007. This figure is expected to reach US$49 billion by 2011. Asia is predicted to grow the quickest during that period, at a CAGR of 10 percent, and reach US$18 billion in market size by 2011.
EDB is riding this growth story to make Singapore a Capital for Interactive and Digital Media, where Singapore creations are made for global consumption. In 2005, EDB attracted several top-tier game companies to Singapore. By 2007, Singapore had played host to regional IDM events like CG Overdrive, Games Convention Asia and World Cyber Games, thus placing our stamp in the global videogame industry.
Today, I’m proud to share with you another success for Singapore, and for EDB. Ubisoft is one of the top companies in the global videogames industry and I’d like to warmly welcome them into Singapore’s IDM landscape.
It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Olivier de Rotalier, Managing Director of Ubisoft Singapore, who will be sharing more about this exciting development.
Part II - AMD’s Follow-On Remarks
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are delighted that Ubisoft, Europe’s top videogame company, has decided to establish its studio in Singapore. When this studio reaches full size a few years from now, it will be the largest videogame studio in South East Asia. This is thus a landmark project for Singapore, and for the region.
This new studio adds momentum to EDB’s efforts to grow and strengthen Singapore’s IDM sector. Singapore is already host to world-class IDM companies such as Lucasfilm, Electronic Arts and Koei. Ubisoft’s presence will strengthen our IDM sector substantially.
Videogames is a creative, knowledge and innovation-intensive industry which EDB is placing emphasis on. It is a high growth business that will add diversity to Singapore’s services industry and create significant spin-offs. Videogame development requires people who are creative, technically-savvy, or who have strong business acumen. Ubisoft’s studio will need talented 3D artists, animators, game designers and programmers. It will therefore create hundreds of exciting and high-value jobs for our people.
We are confident of Ubisoft’s success in Singapore because we have:
- A cosmopolitan workforce with a blend of Asian cultures and Western influences
- High quality graduates from local universities and training institutions
- Ability to attract and retain talent from around the region
- Excellent telecommunication & IT infrastructure
- Robust Intellectual Property Rights Environment
Recognising the criticality of talent in this industry, we are deepening and widening Singapore’s IDM talent-pool. Our universities and polytechnics are already producing some 1000 IDM graduates each year. This number will increase by 40% to 1400 IDM graduates each year by 2010. This output will be complemented by specialized foreign tertiary institutions that are setting up in Singapore. Digipen Institute, for example, is a top videogame development school that will begin classes in Singapore later this year.
In summary, we are very excited to have Ubisoft site its first South East Asian Studio in Singapore. Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership between Ubisoft and Singapore. We look forward to the day when ‘Made-in-Singapore’ videogames become best-sellers and win global awards. |
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