Minister of Culture Fadli Zon Officially Opens Game Center in Shanghai, RI Urged to Stop Being a Market

Fadli Zon inaugurated the Indonesia-China animation and game research center in Shanghai, Saturday, April 25. (IST)

JAKARTA - Minister of Culture (Menbud) Fadli Zon inaugurated the Indonesian-Chinese animation and game research center in Shanghai, Saturday, April 25. This step marks an effort to encourage Indonesia to move out of the market position and start entering as a producer of digital culture.

The inauguration was attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture Bambang Wibawarta, Director General Endah Retnoastuti, UI Rector Heri Hermansyah, and the Consul General of RI in Shanghai Berlianto Situngkir. A number of industry players, academics, and digital creators were also involved.

Fadli emphasized that this cooperation is no longer limited to cultural exchanges. The new direction is directed to joint production which produces talents, research, and intellectual property (IP).

"Today we are opening a new space for cultural and technological collaboration, from exchange to joint production," Fadli said in a written statement received on Sunday, April 26.

He said China has strength in the industrial and distribution ecosystem. Meanwhile, Indonesia has cultural wealth that can be a source of stories and characters.

"For creators, Indonesia is a universe of stories. The challenge is how to process it into a strong and competitive work," he said.

Menbud said that data showed that Indonesia's gaming market was large, but it had not been dominated by local players. In the first quarter of 2026, mobile game downloads reached 870 million, the highest in Southeast Asia. The number of gamers is around 192 million or 43 percent of the total region. The market value is estimated at 2.5 billion US dollars.

However, most of the market is still filled with foreign games. Fadli assessed that this condition must be changed.

"We cannot continue to be consumers. We must enter as producers and exporters of digital cultural IP," he said.

The government is preparing a number of steps, ranging from strengthening financing, research, technology, to IP protection. Cultural digitization is also accelerated through databases and the development of AI-based content, AR/VR, and animation.

Until now, more than 4,300 cultural assets have been digitized. The GO! Culture and IP-Nesia programs have also begun to encourage the birth of games and animations based on local culture.

This research center in Shanghai is expected to be a link between Chinese technology and Indonesian content. The goal is to open access to the global market and strengthen Indonesia's position in the digital creative industry.