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Gaming firms look for love from recast Creative Economy Ministry

The ministry is no longer in charge of tourism and now has a deputy head with a gaming investment background, which has developers hoping for more government attention to address longstanding issues of their industry.

Aditya Hadi (The Jakarta Post)
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Jakarta
Sun, October 27, 2024

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Gaming firms look for love from recast Creative Economy Ministry Well-placed: Deputy Creative Economy Minister Irene Umar (center) shakes hands with President Prabowo Subianto (left) during her swearing-in ceremony at the State Palace on Oct. 21. (Presidential Secretariat/Muchlis Jr)

G

ame developers have lauded the revamp of the Creative Economy Ministry in Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Cabinet, particularly the appointment of a former gaming investment professional as deputy minister.

They suggested that the new structure, which excludes tourism as part of the ministry’s responsibilities, would increase the government’s focus on the emerging gaming industry and might help address longstanding problems of talent development and access to funding.

Upon assuming office on Oct. 20, President Prabowo announced the recreation of a separate ministry for tourism, which during former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second term in office had been part of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.

Prabowo picked Teuku Riefky Harsya, a senior politician from the Democratic Party that had backed his presidial campaign, to lead the new Creative Economy Ministry. While Teuku had handled creative economy-related policies during his two-decade career as a member of the House of Representatives, his main experience lies in the telecommunications industry and hospitality.

Prabowo’s pick for deputy creative economy minister, however, has been greeted with enthusiasm by game developers, because Irene Umar is a well-connected figure in their industry.

Prior to her appointment, the 40-year-old served as managing partner at Discovery Nusantara Capital (DNC), a gaming-focused investment fund. She is also the cofounder and CEO of W3GG, an organization dedicated to empowering gamers, developers and investors to participate in blockchain play-to-earn games.

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“I am honored by this appointment and the opportunity to serve my country in this capacity. I look forward to leveraging my experience with W3GG to help Indonesia harness the full potential of Web3 technologies,” she said in a statement on Oct. 20, as the firm appointed another cofounder, Chin Yu, as new CEO.

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