One of the biggest beneficiaries of the growing digital economy in Southeast Asia is the gaming industry. Sea – formerly Garena – became the first Southeast Asian tech company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2017. Sea is a gaming company but has also ventured into e-commerce and e-payments recently.A trend that has also been fuelling the games market in the region is the rise of eSports. eSports is essentially a competition using video games.

Video games have been popular in Southeast Asia for decades. From the original red and white Nintendo Family Computer, to the arcades that littered shopping malls in the 1990s, and the online-enabled console generations of the 2000s, we’ve loved getting our gaming fix.However, what used to be an activity for groups of friends or siblings has continued to veer toward a less personal experience.

Tan Min-Liang, co-founder of one of the world’s most recognisable gaming brands, Razer, has some exciting times ahead of him. His brainchild, founded in 2005, is now the premium brand for gamers worldwide. It is a company that has become synonymous with video game culture and has earned a loyal following amongst professionals and amateurs alike.After 12 years, the company is finally on the cusp of launching an IPO in Hong Kong.

Sea Ltd. shares fell for the third day in a row and dropped below their initial public offering price, a rocky start as a public company for the Singapore games startup.Sea’s stock slipped 9.9 percent in New York trading Wednesday to close at 13.73 dollars.

Singapore’s Sea plans to price shares at 15 dollars in its initial public offering and raise more than 850 million dollars, according to people familiar with the matter.The total amount may be more than one billion dollars if an option to sell additional shares is exercised, said one of the people, asking not to be identified because the matter is private.