Game accelerator Mseed’s biggest problem is that it’s the first

Late in July, Southeast Asia’s first game accelerator started its inaugural three-month bootcamp. Ten teams from around the country were chosen and are all now mid-way through development.

The aptly-named Mseed is based in Thailand and is helmed by Sakolkorn Sakawee, the former CEO of Garena Thailand. As Southeast Asia’s first game accelerator, it has predictably experienced its fair share of hiccups, tears, and triumph. Chief marketing officer Saiyai Sakawee, also a Tech in Asia ambassador, took to the stage at our Games in Asia meetup in Bangkok last week to share the pros and cons of being part of a game accelerator.

Pros: a complete ecosystem

With Mseed in place, an entire game industry ecosystem is now complete—albeit for Thailand only. Mseed is able to help young studios with not only the initial seed funding, but also through coaching, mentorship, and even deal-brokering.

Creating trust

The accelerator is helmed by trusted and experienced individuals such as CEO Sakawee, and a host of other mentors including David Ng of Gumi Asia and Juha Paananen of Nonstop Games. With well-known names at the forefront, more credibility is granted to the accelerator and, by extension, its participants as well.

(See: More gaming startups need to work together. Malaysia’s 1337 Accelerator is why.)

Mentorship

Gumi Asia’s Brave Frontier for the English-speaking market brings in approximately $79,000 in revenue each day. Just last month, Nonstop Games was acquired by Candy Crush Saga’s King for $6 million in cash. Pocket Playlab, on the other hand, has grabbed a fair share of the market with its Cubes IP, and is a Rovio Stars partner. With mentors of this caliber on-board, where else is a budding game developer going to go but up?

Creating employability and community

As the game developers graduate from the Mseed program, they will take with them the skills and experience gained there. Eventually, they will go on to run their own studios, or work with others, sharing those same skills and experiences. The industry won’t just benefit from an influx of skilled developers; it will also see the growth of a generous, close-knit community.

Inspiration and support

This is perhaps the most important thing an accelerator can bring to its industry. Working in a startup is tough (as we at Games in Asia know all too well) and being a startup founder is even tougher. What Mseed offers its participants is support, and the success its participants later experience will lend inspiration to the thousands of other studios looking for their moments in the spotlight.