Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communications overturned the ban on new online game licenses that had plagued the local games industry for three full years. As of September 1st the ban is no longer in place, though it is vague as to what games will be approved for a true license. It should be noted that despite the ban, game companies have been able to launch and operate new games by work-arounds such as hosting on servers outside of Vietnam, but in the meantime local game companies suffered greatly. Look for more on this topic in Niko's upcoming 2013 Southeast Asian Games Market Regional Report in November. 

In the US we often talk about the huge Chinese consumer market, but it is interesting to see that China invested $4.05 billion in the US in 2012, 123.5% up from 2011 according to data released by the Chinese government in September 2013. That $4.05 billion is less than 5% of the total overseas investment by China globally.  Private sector investment observers indicate that the 2013 outbound investment to the US will be much higher than in 2012 as well. 

7-Eleven is a primary distributor of e-vouchers and game cards throughout Southeast Asia and in Taiwan. It is also gradually becoming a "cool place to hang out" in Indonesia, with live bands and evening entertainment reported at some of the outlets. In Taiwan, the 7-Eleven presence has grown even more. According to a post on Engadget, Hon Hai Precision industry will manufacture tablets and notebooks for 7-Eleven in Taiwan. The two companies began a partnership to sell 7-Eleven branded TVs in Taiwan in June of this year.