KUCHING: Malaysia needs to strengthen the development and commercialisation of homegrown intellectual property (IP) to expand its creative industry internationally.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation’s (MDEC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Anuar Fariz Fadzil, said the country’s years as an outsourcing destination had helped develop its skills and creative capabilities.
“We are now having our own IPs, we’re having our own animations,” he said during the ‘Building a Sustainable Ecosystem for the Digital Content Revolution’ CEO panel at the Borneo Animation & Games Festival (BAGFest) at Pullman Kuching today.
Anuar said Malaysia should not feel compelled to change the cultural identity of its content to reach international audiences, pointing to Japanese and Korean entertainment as examples of productions that had achieved global reach.
He also pointed to ‘Abang Adik’, describing it as an “amazing movie” about family and their trials and tribulations.
“What else can we export? What else can we go to?” he said.
He said MDEC’s Digital Content Ecosystem (DICE) Roadmap for 2026 to 2030 has four key thrusts, covering human capital, IP commercialisation, financing and high value investments, and national brands.
For Enfiniti Group’s CEO Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina, Malaysia’s challenge was not a lack of ideas or creative talent.
“We have extraordinarily talented writers, designers, animators, producers, technologists and storytellers,” she said.
The gap, she said, was often between creation, commercialisation and ownership.
“Where I think the chain often breaks is somewhere between creation and, as you mentioned, commercialisation, and ultimately ownership,” she added.
Tiara said completing a film, animation, game or musical should not necessarily mark the end of its commercial journey as an IP could continue across different platforms and experiences.
She cited ‘Puteri Gunung Ledang’, which began as a film before becoming a musical, as an example of how an IP could develop beyond its original format.
More than two decades later, she said audiences still had an emotional relationship with its characters, music and world.
Her work in resorts and attractions also showed how storytelling could become an experience and business model, she added.
For young creators, Tiara stressed the importance of understanding audiences, marketing, distribution and ownership alongside the creative process.
“Know what you’re building, know who owns it, know what rights you’re giving away,” she said.
She also urged creators to consider what their characters and worlds could become 10 years into the future.
