Latest news with #NewHorizons
Arabian Business
4 days ago
- Business
- Arabian Business
Dubai Chamber of Commerce sees 216 new Filipino companies added in Q1
216 new Filipino companies joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce during the first quarter of this year, adding to over 800 new Filipino firms that registered with the chamber in 2024. Salem Al Shamsi, Vice President – International Relations, Dubai Chambers, said the number of new Filipino companies joining the chamber in 2024 has risen by 18 per cent compared to 2023, indicating sustained momentum in economic relations between the two sides. On the sidelines of a trade mission organised by the Chamber of Commerce to the Philippine capital, Manila, Al Shamsi stated that the strong growth in registered Filipino companies reflects growing confidence in Dubai's business environment and reinforces the emirate's position as a global investment hub. Filipino companies in Dubai In terms of the total investment volume, Al Shamsi said that direct investments from Dubai to the Philippines had reached approximately $193m between 2021 and 2024, while Filipino investments in Dubai amounted to around $35m from 2020 to 2024. He noted that these impressive figures clearly highlight the attractiveness of the Philippine market to Dubai-based investors, while also demonstrating Dubai's ability to attract Filipino companies seeking international expansion. Al Shamsi explained that the Dubai Chamber's trade mission forms part of the 'New Horizons' initiative for overseas expansion, aligning with the chamber's ongoing efforts to open new markets for the city's companies and strengthen the emirate's economic footprint in Southeast Asia. Dubai Chambers is participating in the trade mission alongside 17 Emirati companies operating in diverse sectors, including food, agriculture, technology, industrial security, and manufacturing, with the aim of fostering economic ties and exploring trade and investment opportunities in the Philippine market. Al Shamsi stressed the ongoing effectiveness of the B2B meetings held between Emirati and Filipino companies, which help maximise partnership prospects, save time and resources for entrepreneurs, and ensure the missions deliver tangible economic outcomes. He added that the Philippine market is one of the most strategic for Emirati businesses, owing to its advantageous geographical location, diversified economy, large and youthful population, and increasing openness to foreign direct investment, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, logistics, light industry and information technology. He also highlighted the Philippines as a vital gateway to Southeast Asian markets, noting the considerable opportunities available for ambitious Emirati companies to capitalise on the growing demand for high-quality products and services from the emirate.
The Verge
5 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a glimpse at Nintendo's online future
Tiger Borgia, a content creator focused on cozy games, has been pulling weeds in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for over five years. Given the current landscape in which game developers constantly release new updates to vie for the attention of audiences, Borgia's dedication to New Horizons can come across as admirable. Nintendo has not released a major update to New Horizons since the Happy Home Paradise DLC in 2021. (Just this week the game was patched in advance of the Switch 2.) The version of New Horizons Borgia plays today — the one where she pulls weeds and fishes each day — is more or less the same game that the company released in the spring of 2020. At a time when seemingly every publisher is trying to capture a piece of the lucrative live-service boom, New Horizons showed Nintendo slowly inching its way into the space with more than a year's worth of regular updates after launch. And that expansion into live service is something that could become an even larger part of Nintendo's future with the Switch 2. Speaking to The Verge, Borgia explains that two years ago she would have said yes to having more content in New Horizons, but her opinion has since changed. 'Now I feel like the game should be left as is,' Borgia says via email. ' New Horizons already had its moment. I would be open to the next Animal Crossing title being a live-service game, but I would be skeptical about paywalls and subscription fees.' Since the release of Fortnite and PUBG: Battlegrounds in 2017, live-service games have become a core pillar of modern gaming. Live-service games — or what some call 'games as a service' — don't have a clear start and end. Instead, developers release a base game and continue to put out updates that add new characters, game modes, and other content to try and get people to play as much as possible. The model has become a massively popular way to monetize games. Industry analyst Mat Piscatella published data saying more than 40 percent of all time spent playing on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles in the US in the month of January was spent playing the top 10 live-service games. And the trend has hit the developer side too: a 2025 survey from the Game Developers Conference found that roughly 30 percent of all 'AAA' developers are working on a live-service game. Despite all the big numbers, Nintendo has been selective with the live-service games it develops. Creating a live-service game isn't as easy as flipping a switch, and even major companies like Sony have struggled to enter the space; it recently shut down development on two such projects. However, some fans are wondering if that could change with the Switch 2. Previous titles like Splatoon 3 have already gotten live-esque service with regular updates and events — even if the earlier entries in the series were ultimately shut down. And New Horizons received a steady stream of updates initially. New features, like the Switch 2's Discord-like social tool GameChat, could benefit live-service games that rely on online communication and logging in with friends regularly to play. Additionally, leaks from an October playtest suggested that Nintendo could be working on some sort of MMO for the Switch 2, which could also fall under the umbrella of a live-service game. But here is the most compelling argument that a shift could be on the horizon: Nintendo has already been investing in live-service games for years. If you look at Nintendo's mobile games, entries like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp already used a free-to-play model with in-game transactions at launch. Some Animal Crossing fans welcome the possibility of adapting the mainline games to a live-service model. New Horizons is really good for people who like to get creative and design an island, but the game can run out of new content after players complete certain tasks and storylines. Tom, an artist who played the game for more than two years, tells The Verge a live-service version of the game could have kept him playing even longer. 'More updates would have made it way more likely that I'd have kept going, especially because it would keep friends coming back too,' he says. Additionally, the gameplay and structure of New Horizons could be the perfect fit for a live-service game, since it has seasonal events depending on the time of year and the region you play in. However, some of the fans I spoke to expressed skepticism. 'I was never expecting to get infinite content from Animal Crossing honestly,' Christi Kerr, a player who spent more than 700 hours playing New Horizons, tells The Verge. 'I was used to old AC games where all the content came out at once, and you play it until you feel like you've done all you want. I thought the updates to New Horizons were fun, but also kind of frustrating as a New Leaf player.' That's not to say that players The Verge spoke to are completely closed off to the live-service model with the next mainline Animal Crossing game; it just needs to be done in a way that feels respectful to players' time, money, and attention. Today, even beloved live-service games are regularly criticized by fans for requiring too much time to level up a battle pass or for poorly designed events. 'If Animal Crossing were to consider a live-service approach, I really hope that they would focus on seasonal events and quality-of-life updates,' Borgia says. 'I would be nervous to say I hope for continuous new content like furniture and clothing, because that can easily turn into a microtransaction nightmare. I'd love to have more seasonal celebrations, challenges, and temporary NPC visitors.' So far, Nintendo has shown a measured approach to live-service games. In the case of Pocket Camp, Nintendo ended up rereleasing it as a standalone game free of microtransactions. Now, people who missed the boat on playing Pocket Camp initially and don't like in-app purchases can still play the same game. For the fans we spoke to, this is good enough. Animal Crossing doesn't need to be some sort of never-ending forever game that trudges on like a zombie throughout the years. As Kerr put it, it's totally fine to have a game start and end, and then get a new one down the line. 'I would've been delighted to see updates like a live service game. [...] But like I said, I'm not bothered if the next Animal Crossing game sustains my interest for a while and then I'm done.'
Zawya
6 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
216 Filipino companies join Dubai Chambers in Q1 2025
A total of 216 new Filipino companies joined the Dubai Chamber of Commerce during the first quarter of this year, adding to over 800 new Filipino firms that registered with the chamber in 2024. Salem Al Shamsi, Vice President - International Relations, Dubai Chambers, said the number of new Filipino companies joining the chamber in 2024 has risen by 18 percent compared to 2023, indicating sustained momentum in economic relations between the two sides. In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of a trade mission organised by Dubai Chamber of Commerce to the Philippine capital, Manila, from 25th to 27th May, Al Shamsi stated that the strong growth in registered Filipino companies reflects growing confidence in Dubai's business environment and reinforces the emirate's position as a global investment hub. In terms of investment volume, Al Shamsi said that direct investments from Dubai to the Philippines reached approximately US$193 million between 2021 and 2024, while Filipino investments in Dubai amounted to around US$35 million from 2020 to 2024. He noted that these figures clearly highlight the attractiveness of the Philippine market to Dubai-based investors, while also demonstrating Dubai's ability to attract Filipino companies seeking international expansion. Al Shamsi explained that the Dubai Chamber's trade mission forms part of the 'New Horizons' initiative for overseas expansion, aligning with the chamber's ongoing efforts to open new markets for Dubai companies and strengthen the emirate's economic footprint in Southeast Asia. Dubai Chambers is participating in the trade mission alongside 17 Emirati companies operating in diverse sectors, including food, agriculture, technology, industrial security, and manufacturing, with the aim of fostering economic ties and exploring trade and investment opportunities in the Philippine market. Al Shamsi stressed the effectiveness of the B2B meetings held between Emirati and Filipino companies, which help maximise partnership prospects, save time and resources for entrepreneurs, and ensure the missions deliver tangible economic outcomes. He added that the Philippine market is one of the most strategic for Emirati businesses, owing to its advantageous geographical location, diversified economy, large and youthful population, and increasing openness to foreign direct investment, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, logistics, light industry and information technology. He also highlighted the Philippines as a vital gateway to Southeast Asian markets, noting the considerable opportunities available for Emirati companies to capitalise on the growing demand for high-quality products and services from Dubai. Al Shamsi reaffirmed Dubai Chambers' commitment to supporting the local business community in expanding into key global markets. "We at Dubai Chambers are focused on building sustainable economic bridges with global markets. Trade missions like this one help open effective channels of cooperation and turn opportunities into real partnerships," Al Shamsi said.
Arabian Business
22-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Dubai Chamber of Commerce to visit Philippines and Thailand on trade mission
The mission comes as part of the 'New Horizons' initiative, which aims to support the expansion of local companies into promising global markets. The chamber hosted a virtual briefing session for members of the trade mission, which includes representatives from a diverse range of Dubai-based companies operating in sectors such as: Food and beverages Human resources Automotive trade Hospitality Industrial oils Agriculture Electronics Investment Dubai Chamber of Commerce to visit Philippines and Thailand Participants were briefed on the mission's programme, which features meetings and bilateral business matchmaking sessions between companies from Dubai and their counterparts in the Philippines and Thailand to explore opportunities for collaboration, align interests, and identify potential areas for growth. Attendees also gained valuable insights into the economic landscape and market dynamics of both countries. The 'New Horizons' initiative is a key pillar of the chamber's efforts to promote the global expansion of Dubai-based companies and enable them to capitalise on rewarding opportunities in new international markets. The initiative aligns with the goals of the 'Dubai Global' initiative, which seeks to help local companies explore new business prospects across 30 priority markets worldwide.
Emirates 24/7
22-05-2025
- Business
- Emirates 24/7
Dubai Chamber of Commerce organises trade mission to the Philippines, Thailand
Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has completed preparations for its upcoming trade mission to the Philippines and Thailand, which will take place from 26th to 30th May. The mission comes as part of the 'New Horizons' initiative, which aims to support the expansion of local companies into promising global markets. The chamber hosted a virtual briefing session for members of the trade mission, which includes representatives from a diverse range of Dubai-based companies operating in sectors such as food and beverages, human resources, the automotive trade, hospitality, industrial oils, agriculture, electronics, and investment. Participants were briefed on the mission's programme, which features meetings and bilateral business matchmaking sessions between companies from Dubai and their counterparts in the Philippines and Thailand to explore opportunities for collaboration, align interests, and identify potential areas for growth. Attendees also gained valuable insights into the economic landscape and market dynamics of both countries. The 'New Horizons' initiative is a key pillar of the chamber's efforts to promote the global expansion of Dubai-based companies and enable them to capitalise on rewarding opportunities in new international markets. The initiative aligns with the goals of the "Dubai Global" initiative, which seeks to help local companies explore new business prospects across 30 priority markets worldwide. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
