Interactive gaming is one of New Zealand’s hottest startup segments and is attracting significant interest from technology companies overseas.

Auckland’s Grinding Gear Games recently sold 80 percent of its company to Chinese Internet behemeth Tencent, for north of $100 million. Tencent also holds a 25 percent stake in Dunedin’s RocketWerkz.

Meanwhile, Wellington’s PikPok is still 100 percent locally owned and is now into its 21st year of operation. Last month, PikPok won Best Medium/Large Business at the Wellington Export Awards.

Both Grinding Gear Games and PikPok employ over 100 staff each. So along with all the overseas investments and export revenue, interactive gaming is a solid source of local jobs too.