At the Vietnamese Game Day 2023, held for the first time in collaboration with the Department of Broadcasting, Television and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications, VnExpress, and the Alliance of Game Producers and Publishers in Vietnam, Microsoft introduced tools, platforms, and the Xbox, Azure, and GitHub ecosystem, enhancing the creative capabilities of game developers in Vietnam, contributing to bringing Vietnamese games to the global market.
After two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for gaming has significantly increased, contributing to the remarkable development of the industry. Accordingly, the gaming ecosystem is focusing on developing tools and infrastructure so that content creators and game developers worldwide, from large studios to small independent units, can utilize them to build and bring their games to the global player community.
“Microsoft has over 40 years of experience leading in the gaming industry, driving development through technology and producing some of the most influential games of all time. Our mission is to bring joy and make games accessible to everyone around the world. Therefore, at the Vietnamese Game Day 2023, we commit to empowering creators and game developers in Vietnam so they can create more games and reach more players globally through the Xbox, Azure, and GitHub platforms and tools,” said Ms. Nguyễn Quỳnh Trâm, General Director of Microsoft Vietnam.
ID@Azure Elevates Vietnamese Games to New Heights
At Microsoft, we recognize the tremendous benefits that cloud platforms bring to the gaming industry. We understand the challenges that creators and developers face, especially independent and small entities. Therefore, Microsoft has developed the Independent Developers @ Azure (ID@Azure) program to extend these benefits to small studios and the independent game development community.
ID@Azure empowers independent game developers to fully leverage the advantages of the cloud to increase flexibility and scalability, reduce operational costs while ensuring accelerated development and enhanced player experience. Notably, by participating in the program, independent game developers gain free access to developer tools such as Azure OpenAI, Visual Studio, GitHub, and Microsoft 365, along with Azure credits worth up to $150,000 and 24/7 support from industry experts. After more than a year of implementation, ID@Azure has helped over 500 developers from 55 countries worldwide bring their games to the cloud.
“Great games are the heart and soul of the gaming industry. To provide an exceptional experience for players, we believe that first, we must provide an exceptional experience for creators and developers, regardless of their size. By listening, then empowering and enabling them to do their best work within Microsoft’s gaming ecosystem, we hope to bring the best game development technologies to Vietnam, empowering Vietnamese creators and developers to confidently unlock opportunities, drive commerce, and contribute to bringing Vietnamese games to the international stage,” Ms. Trâm added.
In addition to the ID@Xbox and ID@Azure programs, independent game creators and developers in Vietnam also have the opportunity to access the world’s largest developer ecosystem, GitHub, to learn, exchange, and collaboratively develop games on par with renowned titles worldwide. Notably, GitHub has just launched the GitHub Octernship program to provide students the opportunity to participate in open-source projects and software development in 10 countries, including Vietnam. This is an excellent opportunity for student creators and developers in Vietnam to learn and enhance their skills.
Recently, Microsoft held a conference to connect and expand the Vietnamese gaming market with the theme “New Vision for Vietnamese Games” attended by hundreds of developers, studio representatives, and gamers. Prior to that, Microsoft signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the period 2022 – 2025 with VTC in the field of esports, focusing on four main areas: building a tournament system; training and enhancing game development skills; establishing a hybrid cloud platform for VTC; and supporting VTC to become a game startup center in Vietnam.
Currently, Microsoft is also working with domestic organizations and associations such as the Vietnam Esports Association (VIRESA) and the Vietnam Game Developers Alliance (VDA) to listen and collaboratively build sustainable development directions for the Vietnamese gaming industry.