MDEC has officially kicked off MYDCF 2021 (My Digital Creative Fair), their combo event of Kre8tif and Level Up KL 2021. You can sign up for the event at the MYDCF 2021 website.

MYDCF 2021 marks the first time MDEC is combining the Kre8tif! animation initiative with the LEVEL UP KL video games conference into a single festival. Split into two parts, MYDCF will begin with the Business Conference & Networking portion, set throughout the month of September. This is targeted towards professionals in the digital creative content industry.

November will see the Gamified Expo, an electrifying event that is open to the public to showcase the best of the region’s digital creative content offerings.

“With a global market worth of US$432 billion in 2020, the digital creative content industry plays an important role for the development of Malaysia’s economy, as laid out in the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL). In the past year, there has been several key programmes by the Malaysian government and MDEC to support the creative industry during the COVID-19 pandemic and sustain job creation, such as PRISMA and PENJANA”, said Gopi Ganesalingam, Vice President, Tech Ecosystems and Globalisation, MDEC.

“At the same time, many companies within the tech industry are leveraging on animation and video games technology to enhance their businesses to become more competitive. This has led the creative industry to balloon into a RM7 billion revenue industry. MYDCF serves as an important event to further drive development and partnerships within the industry, as well as aligning with MDEC’s Heart of Digital ASEAN initiative to promote Malaysia as a digital creative content hub,” he continues.

MYDCF 2021 will feature several programmes for industry professionals to attend, including an Industry Conference, the Business Connect Program, SEA Game Jam, workshops, and others.

The latest inclusion to the list would be the LEVEL UP KL Indie Pitch, which allows game developers to pitch their projects to international investors. For the animation industry, the Elevator Pitch serves as a similar platform for animation studios to present their latest projects to broadcasters and investors.

Here’s some of the speakers presenting at the event:

• Shuhei Yoshida, Head of PlayStation Indies; along with John Eternal, Global Account Director with PlayStation.
• Chris Charia from Microsoft Xbox
• Kamon Yoshimura, Head of Developer and Publisher Relations for Southeast Asia at Nintendo
• Christopher Bremble. Founder and CEO of Base Media
• Leslie Lee, VP Kids Asia Pacific, WarnerMedia
• Sujit Chatterjii. Head Of Character Animation at Base FX

“This year, we are combining our premier digital creative content events – LEVEL UP KL and Kre8tif! – together. It’s important that video games and animation industries to synergise and drive more business opportunities in the industry”, said Mohan Low Han Sen, Director, Digital Creative Content, MDEC.

“The MYDCF Business Conference & Networking event will tremendously benefit creative industry professionals, who can leverage this business platform to explore business opportunities with investors, publishers, broadcasters, studio producers, service providers and many more attending the event. Furthermore, business owners or corporates looking to engage animation and video games services will be able to connect with key industry players locally and internationally,” he continues.

MDEC will also be launching the Malaysian Animation Marketplace with Vuulr. Under this collaboration, Vuulr will serve as a catalogue hub for Malaysian animation, creating lead generation and potential deal flows for local companies through their partners. The platform is set to launch by the end of 2021.

Besides that, MDEC has announced a collaboration with Games 4 Change Asia Pacific (G4C APAC), a non-profit organisation that empowers game creators and social innovators to drive impact through games and technology, focusing on games for learning, health, and social change.

MDEC and G4C APAC will be cross collaborating on MYDCF 2021 in cross promotions. From 5 to 7 October 2021, the Games for Change Asia-Pacific Festival will launch across the region with a free virtual festival. Additionally, two Malaysian studios will be presenting at the festival under the Cultural Preservation category.