The video game industry has exploded in recent years and is expected to exceed $138 billion USD by 2021, cueing investors to take a closer look at companies operating in the space. Vancouver-based Axion Ventures Inc. (TSXV:AXV) (OTCQX:AXNVF) (FRA: 2A5) is one company that continues to cement its spot in the burgeoning market with a focus on Southeast Asia, the world’s fastest-growing video games market in the world.
Axion revealed Tuesday that its highly-anticipated joint venture mobile game INVICTUS: Lost Soul was highlighted by Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) at a press day in Singapore.
At the same time, the company announced the INVICTUS inaugural eSports tournament, which is expected to commence in late June in Thailand.
True Axion Interactive’s INVICTUS Catches Apple’s Eye
INVICTUS: Lost Soul, which officially launched at the end of April, is the first AAA-quality, eSports-focused mobile game created in Thailand and developed by True Axion Interactive, a Thailand-based video game development company that Axion co-founded with True Corporation (BKK: TRUE).
During its opening weekend, INVICTUS ranked number one under the ‘Action Games’ and ‘Card Games’ categories and ranked number three overall under the ‘Free Games’ category on the App Store in Thailand. Meanwhile, on Google Play, the game ranked No. 8 under the ‘Free Games’ category.
This early success evidently caught the eye of Apple because the mobile game leader highlighted INVICTUS at a recent press day it hosted in Singapore, praising the game for its innovative mechanics and high-quality graphics.
The press day, which had over 40 video game media outlets in attendance from Southeast Asia, is part of Apple’s ongoing promotion of Apple Arcade, a subscription-based mobile game service that is expected to hit the App Store this fall.
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During the press day, Apple invited three Southeast Asian game developers to speak about their games, one of which was True Axion Interactive.
“We are proud to have been invited into Apple’s mobile game ecosystem as a highlighted developer in Southeast Asia,” said Axion Chairman and CEO Todd Bonner. “Being recognized by a mobile game leader and given access to their marketing capability will help define Invictus as a must-play game on the App Store and further expand the game’s reach in Southeast Asia and beyond.”
Although Apple didn’t confirm whether INVICTUS would be one of the games included in Apple Arcade, it would be pretty surprising if it was left out.
Axion Announces Inaugural eSports Tournament
As mentioned, Axion Ventures also announced its upcoming inaugural eSports tournament, which will be hosted in Thailand this summer. The INVICTUS: Lost Souls eSports Tournament will see up to 1,000 players competing through a series of phases, which will begin with a pre-season round in August and end with INVICTUS Thailand Championship matches in October 2019.
The tournament is expected to offer prize pools starting at 110,000 THB ($3,502 USD) for the pre-season round all the way up to 1,000,000 THB ($31,838 USD) for the finals. The company will be broadcasting select matches online following the end of each tournament day.
INVICTUS: Lost Soul is a strategy based, fighting style card game where players battle each other in real time, selecting cards from their deck to either attack or defend. The game is currently being rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store.
Featured Image: Pixabay
