Singapore’s Virtuous expands Asian footprint with game studio in Kuala Lumpur

• Founded by returning Malaysian games industry pioneers
• Supports growth as development hub through training & jobs creation 

Virtuos Kuala Lumpur has been operating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since early 2021 and has grown to a team of 90,  was finally able to have its official launch yesterday with Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in attendance. 

A leading global video game development company, Virtuos Kuala Lumpur delivers full game development, engineering, and art production services to some of the world’s biggest game developers and publishers. 

It is part of Virtuos’ global network of studios, which has contributed to iconic games including Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Demon’s Souls, Final Fantasy, Horizon Forbidden West, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond for Meta Quest 2. 

Helmed by Mufizal Mokhtar as General Manager, Virtuos Kuala Lumpur was founded by a team that includes veteran AAA game developers with over 20 years of experience each, and who have returned home to launch the studio. The team comprises Boon Yan Toh as Studio Operations Director, Ian Ng Siong Yoong as Studio Production Director, Noorazhar Mohd Noor as Senior Lead Artist, and Johaness Reuben as Technical Art Director.

“I am pleased to return home to build Virtuos Kuala Lumpur alongside some of my closest friends and pioneers in the industry,” said Mufizal. “We are excited to play an active part in Malaysia’s game development industry and the growth of its digital ecosystem. Thanks to the support of the Malaysian Government and our global Virtuos network, we look forward to welcoming the best talent to our multicultural team and making games better, together.” 

At the forefront of Malaysia’s growing games industry 
Expected to play a significant role in Malaysia’s fast-developing video games sector, in collaboration with the Malaysian government, Virtuos will focus on further expansion and the training of new talent. 

Arham Abdul Rahman, CEO of MIDA, said, “The exponential growth of the global gaming industry has been remarkable as this industry presents many opportunities and a huge potential for growth. The establishment of a Virtuos studio in Malaysia is in line with our efforts to attract creative quality investments, which contribute to a rich and diverse digital media sector and create high-value job opportunities, allowing many young talent to pursue their passion for gaming by making a global impact with fun, creative and original IP conceptualized and developed in Malaysia”.

With the global gaming revenue projected to reach US$219.9 billion (RM977.8 billion) in 2022, Arham said MIDA will continue to play an active role in promoting the gaming industry which will contribute to a sustainable digital ecosystem. “We want to assure companies such as Virtuos that Malaysia can be your home, and we stand ready to support the growth of this industry.”

Mahadhir Aziz, CEO of MDEC, said, “MDEC would like to congratulate Virtuos on their expansion to Malaysia. As a globally-renowned video game development company, their presence is evidence of the nation’s vibrant creative digital content ecosystem, and further proof of our role as the regional hub of choice. Virtuos’ commitment towards developing digital talent and creating high-value job opportunities is aligned to the goals of Malaysia Digital. MDEC is looking forward to collaborating closely with Virtuos in supporting their future endeavours.”

Gilles Langourieux, CEO of Virtuos, said, “With the launch of Virtuos Kuala Lumpur, we are excited to contribute to Malaysia’s digitalization and growth as a regional game development hub. We have ambitions to grow our local headcount to 300 by the end of 2025, and become one of Malaysia’s top studios that deliver full-cycle game development expertise and quality projects for our partners worldwide.”

Located between Virtuos’ Singapore headquarters and its largest Asian studios in China and Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur is a natural expansion for Virtuos worldwide. The expansion also builds upon Virtuos’ launches in Lyon and Montreal, as well as its acquisitions of Glass Egg in Ho Chi Minh City and Volmi in Ukraine this year.