MUMBAI: Johor Bahru turned into a playground for pixels, panels, and pavilions today as the ASEAN Digital Content Summit 2025 (ADCS 2025) opened its doors at Persada Johor International Convention Centre. Organised by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025, the summit aims to power up cross-border collaboration in animation, gaming, and creative technology bringing ASEAN’s creative industries onto the global stage.
The summit was officially inaugurated by YAB Dato’ Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Menteri Besar Johor, and YB Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, deputy minister of Digital Malaysia, signalling Malaysia’s intent to position ASEAN as a hub of innovation and storytelling. With over 2,000 attendees, more than 10 country pavilions including Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Cambodia, and Vietnam 50 visionary speakers, and over 100 exhibitors, ADCS 2025 is less a conference and more a carnival of creativity.
Highlights include the ASEAN Roundtable on Digital Content Collaboration, which explores AI-driven innovation and shared policy frameworks; Kre8tif! Business Xchange, ASEAN’s flagship B2B platform linking creators to global investors; and appearances from icons such as Koji Morimoto, co-founder of Japan’s famed Studio 4°C. Public showcases such as the Malaysia Animation Film Festival (MAFF) and Asia Creators Fest (ACF) pavilion round off the festival feel.
“The ASEAN region is home to a vibrant pool of talent in animation, game, and digital content. ADCS 2025 allows us to move beyond servicing into creating original intellectual property that can compete globally,” said YB Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, underscoring Malaysia’s MADANI government’s push to empower the next generation of creators.
The summit also set the stage for Malaysia’s upcoming global moment hosting Siggraph Asia 2026, one of the world’s largest computer graphics conferences, expected to attract 3,000 professionals from Asia, the US, and Europe. Supported by the Johor State Government, TM, SME Corp Malaysia, Unisza, Asia Creators Fest, KL Chapter ACM Siggraph, Malaysia Esports Federation, and Rewardinme with media backing from RTM, Animationxpress, Gofluence, and more ADCS 2025 isn’t just a summit; it’s ASEAN’s creative coming-of-age story.LE