SEA GAME DEV COLLECTIVE DIGEST - December 2024 Edition
Editor’s Note
This is the fifth edition of the SEA Game Dev Collective Digest and the last one for 2024! At the time of writing this, I am post-The Game Awards, and eating snacks while also having (Game of the Year nominated) Balatro running on my phone. This week I got to meet my Future Class cohort, hug my mentor and drink a heinously expensive smoothie from Erawhon so all in all, I had a great time.
Whether you're into awards or not, it is the month of December which is always a great time to reflect on the year just past. So, how are you? What did you get up to? I sincerely hope 2024 has been kind to you, and if not, there's no time like now to be kind to yourself. And since this is a gaming newsletter - tell me what was the best game you played this year. Go on and have a think, I'll be here waiting.
I meme a lot about this but I truly think the best discovery I've had since entering the games industry are the friends we make along the way. All of my favorite gaming moments this year revolve around time with people I care about. Like Mik from Innersloth moving to Japan and becoming my local bestie. Or when I picked up The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood because of a joke tweet by Tessa from TheGamer, which went on to be one of the most life-changing games for me to play in 2024. But most meaningful of all for me was when Jun Shen, Arief and Brian and myself were all together at the Xbox x Women in Games Asia event during Gamescom Asia week. These are the save files I'll keep with me until I'm old and grey in a nursing home, playing Final Fantasy VIII for the 58th time.
So wherever you are and whatever you're doing, play great games and make even better memories with the people you love. It's been a pleasure to have you here reading the SEA Game Dev Collective Digest.
Happy holidays and we'll see you all next year!
Samantha Low - Global Comms at Neon Noroshi, and honorary Southeast Asian
Game Releases, Launches, Updates
We’re excited by all the recent and upcoming releases from Southeast Asia in November and December:
Nov 4 - METAMATHEMA - Quit (Thailand)
Nov 14 - King of Cards - YZ (Myanmar)
Nov 22 - Spirit Mancer - Sunny Syrup Studio (Thailand)
Nov 22 - Playing God - Rath (Singapore)
Nov 28 - Jeepney Simulator 2 - Spacezero Interactive (Philippines)
Dec 5 - Mortal Vessel - SifDoge Software (Indonesia)
Dec 5 - Overthrown - Brimstone (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines)
Dec 5 - Owe Money Pay Money - No Average Joe (Singapore)
Dec 6 - Decayed Signal - Pendopo (Indonesia)
Dec 14 - StellaGale: The Trials of Faith (Early Access) - Extra Life Entertainment, Vifth Floor, Outpost Games Inc. (Indonesia)
Dec 18 - Unyielder (Combat Demo) - TrueWorld Studios, Shueisha Games
Dec 24 - House of Everlast - Renala Games (Indonesia)
Check out all the games that have launched from the region on VirtualSEA’s amazing resource here. Also, Southeast Asia Game Wiki has just updated their game database, which now features 800+ games.
In other gaming news…
It’s showcase season:
Several Southeast Asian games featured in The Game Awards for Games Who Can’t Afford the Game Awards including SEDAP!, Building Relationships, Eat the Rich, Overhours, Cuisineer, Weldiver, Golf BTW, and more that took place on Dec 13th.
Southeast Asian games featured in the MIX Fall Showcase 2024 including Let’s Build a Dungeon, Cuisineer and SEDAP!
Let’s Build a Dungeon by Springloaded was recently featured in a PC Gamer article talking about its all-new trailer for the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted and what the game is all about.
K-pop Idol Stories by Wisageni Studios was featured in the Women-Led Games showcase and PQube Asia Showcase.
Agni: Village of Calamity by Separuh Interactive was featured at the Horror Game Awards.
Tencent Games recently concluded their GWB Game Awards 2024 - and Whisper Mountain Outbreak by Toge Productions won for Best Multiplayer, and LightsUp! By BugBlio Studios was nominated.
Two Southeast Asian games have been nominated to the Indie Game Awards at the upcoming Taipei Game Show 2025 - Lost and Found Co. by Bit Egg Inc. for Best Audio, and Paper Pal by Scribble Squad for Best Student Game. Congrats to all the nominees!!
Thai studio Urnique announced the release of their hit game Timelie on mobile platforms in 2025.
Vietnamese studio SOGA was recently featured in GameRant for their upcoming game Weldiver - an underwater welder sim with survival elements.
Devilated by Trunks, and published by Neon Doctrine was recently featured in PC Gamer.
Vermillion Digital released their 0.12.0 update for MASS Builder featuring the Mecha Asset Sharing System.
Werydlets launched their Among Us collab, bringing a crewmate into the game as a mini pet for players. Check it out here.
Cuisineer by BattleBrew Productions released a Deep Dive video on their upcoming console release on January 29, with members of the team sharing updates including new town events, food buffs, weapons, furniture, outfits and more.
Luminatory by RedCocoon, an abstract neon puzzle-factory simulator made during IndieJam 2024’s game jam and is slated for full release in January 2025 on Steam.
A Space for the Unbound, Coffee Talk, and Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly from Toge Productions are included in the December catalog of PlayStation Plus. Read more about it here.
Singapore’s The Straits Times featured 11 home-grown games set to release in 2025 including Sedap!, The Diner at the End of the Galaxy, Grifford Academy, Compensation Not Guaranteed and many more!
News, Programs and Initiatives Roundup
SEAGO - the Southeast Asia Game Onwards, featuring over 160 games from across the Southeast Asia region, recently launched the Steam Sale, with the video showcase going live on December 29th, later this month.
Ghost of the SEA showcase - SEA Game Aesthetic wrote a retrospective about the Ghost of the SEA showcase that released earlier this year featuring 46 games from the region.
Games Exchange Australia x Philippines Edition - organized by Noble Steed Games, IGG Philippines, and MEE Games took place on December 6th and featured High Times, Potion Punch Rivals, Fall Up, Fallen Tear: The Ascension, Until Then and more from the Philippines, and The Master’s Pupil, Catto’s Post Office, Isopod, Pie in the Sky and more from Australia.
Singapore Comic Con - 4 Singapore-made games were featured at the recent Singapore Comic Con held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Center from Dec 6 - 8, including Common Wealth, Find Lah!, Roachman, and A Stitch in Time. These were recipients of the IMDA Prototype Grant, which provides funding and mentorship for these game developers.
Malaysia Game Developer Association - The formation of Malaysian Game Developer Association (MYGDA) was teased at the recent GameDev Hangout held at Passion Republic HQ on December 6th. The association will be a front-facing organization putting emphasis on improving the quality of life for game workers in Malaysia.
Brunei BIG Jam and Game Dev Scene - Adzimin Amin, for the Brunei Innovation Lab wrote about Brunei’s game development scene, the recently held Brunei BIG Jam and the incredible growing community.
Xbox’s Indie Game Fest Demo event is live! Several Southeast Asian games feature including Gigabash (Passion Republic Games), Robo Frenzy (YummyYummyTummy), and Seed of Heroes (Vermillion Digital).
Game Dev Learnings
Victoria Tran’s Community Dev Newsletter’s last issue of the year covered topics like leadership, and has links to cool marketing related opportunities and job posts.
Thomas Reisenegger of Future Friends Games recently made an X thread about how they helped upcoming horror game The Cabin Factory go viral.
Andrew Teo made an X thread about Ghostlore’s commercial success, and what indie devs should think about when developing and marketing their own games.
Ryan K. Rigney, marketing partner for A16Z Games shared in his newsletter, the original pitch deck for Mars First Logistics, one of the first games to get funded by Outersloth.
Tanat Boozayaangool, Founder of Tan Ant Games and developing Building Relationships announced he will be delivering a talk at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) 2025 on Comedy through Patterns (How to Structure a Funny Video Game).
Upcoming Events
A look-ahead at what’s coming up in the region:
Dec
21 - 22 - Comic Fiesta (Malaysia) - One of Southeast Asia's largest, and longest-running convention event that focuses on animation, comics and games (ACG).
29 - SEAGO Showcase (regional) - Southeast Asia Game Aesthetic’s annual showcase celebrating the games from across the SE Asia region.
Jan
20 - 26 - Global Game Jam (international) - GGJ is back, and there are a number of jam sites across Southeast Asia including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and more. Find out more here.
23 - 26 - Taipei Game Show (Taiwan) - One of the largest game shows in the Asia region, with a great showing from indies to AAAs from Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
Job openings and opportunities
Altitude Games (Philippines) is hiring for several roles including a data analyst, lead UX designer, junior QA analyst, social media manager, and full stack developer. Find out more here.
Wisageni Games (Indonesia) is hiring a full-time Unity programmer. Find out more here.
[UPDATE] Fundraiser for a Game Dev in need - Thank you!
We want to thank everyone who purchased the SEA Game Dev Bestie wallpapers on Sarah’s Ko-fi page to help Nana, the writer of the visual novel The Sun Shines Over Us who, was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.
Together we raised over 900USD and the proceeds have gone directly to help Nana pay her medical bills.
Some of the SEA Game Dev Collective’s Favorite SEA Games of the Year:
It’s been an incredible year for new Southeast Asian-made games, and we’re thankful for them all. Here are some of the ones that the Collective have enjoyed playing.
Jun Shen - Until Then by Polychroma Games
Nissie - Window Garden by CLOVER-FI Games
Kenzie - Mirth Melody by Clay Game Studio (very excited for Mirth Island!), and Pryzm by DrearyWeary
Sam - Plantabi by Adrian Corpuz
J.T. - Glyphica: Typing Survival by aliasBLACK
William - Cat Legends Idle RPG by Dream Studio
Arief - Petit Island by Xelo Games
Sarah - Cats & Seek series by Noobzilla
Thank you for supporting the SEA Game Dev Collective Digest in 2024. We’ll be back in 2025, and can’t wait to share more exciting things happening in the world of Southeast Asia game dev.
See you then!
The SEA Game Dev Collective (and Digest Editorial team) are: