Originally published on 1 October 2020:

(Updated on 2 October 2020): Earlier today, MDEC has clarified that Sony and Microsoft will not be speaking at the Level Up KL 2020 Industry Conference.

However, the following developers and companies will be present to speak at the upcoming event:

• Steam
• Roblox
• Larian Studios
• Ubisoft Singapore

You can check out the full schedule for the Level Up KL 2020 Conference events and Masterclass workshops below (courtesy of MDEC Vice President of Digital Creative Content Hasnul Hadi Samsudin):

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has announced that LEVEL UP KL will return for a sixth edition from 10 October to 22 November 2020.

This year, the regional event will be conducted fully online and is expected to attract more than 50,000 gamers, developers, distributors and visitors from across 30 countries. The nearly two-month-long event has a very packed schedule, featuring activities that cater to businesses within the video games industry and the public alike.

Kicking things off is the Southeast Asia (SEA) Game Jam Online, a first for this platform, featuring 100 game developers from across the Southeast Asian region. Like previous iterations, it will still be a 36-hour hackathon, in which participants will compete for a chance to win RM6,000 in cash prizes.

Right after is one of the main events for LEVEL UP KL 2020; the Business Connection. This online meeting platform will provide a more immersive and interactive discussion and networking environment as it connects top industry experts, Southeast Asian games studios and aspiring video game developers.

The extravaganza then continues with the two-day Industry Conference, featuring a wide swath of ecosystem players. This includes the likes of Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Microsoft and Unity, all of whom will be speaking on game development, technology and commercialisation.

Taking place concurrently is the Business Expo, an online games industry trade event for local and regional video games studios to promote their product and services. There will also be masterclass workshops and a Virtual Career Fair for those keen on joining the industry.

The most anticipated games festival in the region will not be complete without the SEA Game Showcase, another main event that will run from 19 October until 15 November 2020, featuring exclusive promotions, video game demos and special deals for the top games that were developed in the region.

This will then culminate in the SEA Game Awards, another highly anticipated event that recognises the best and latest games developed in Southeast Asia. There will also be an esports webinar and several e-sports tournaments that offer budding and seasoned professional gamers a chance to get part of the prize pool that is worth RM120,000.

Passion Republic’s Gigabash was one of the biggest winners from last year’s iteration.

In an official statement, MDEC CEO Surina Shukri said:

“In 2015, there were only 372 attendees and last year, that number more than quadrupled to 1,791.

This is a strong indication that the video games industry in Southeast Asia is on an unstoppable growth trajectory.

With the pandemic forcing many to work from the comforts of their homes, we are also witnessing a spike in the popularity of video games that are primarily an at-home type activity.

Therefore, we are positive that this trend will be reflected in this edition of LEVEL UP KL as we are expecting to reach 5,000,000 people via social media and record 50,000 registered visitors for its first-ever virtualised event.”

MDEC Vice President of Digital Creative Content Hasnul Hadi Samsudin said:

“From 2019, we strengthened our efforts to position Malaysia as a regional powerhouse for the gaming industry through the introduction of the Digital Content Ecosystem (DICE) strategy.

LEVEL UP KL 2020 is an additional effort that validates Malaysia as the preferred destination for the regional game development ecosystem.”

You can head on over to the official website here.