Google Play and the App Store have given mobile game developers a global reach. This is exciting for developers in countries like Indonesia, where interest in game development is quickly on the rise. Even though the local market is promising with 41 million smartphone users, six million tablet owners, and 30 million teenagers on the internet, it’s still interesting to know that gamers around the world can also turn to the archipelago for unique titles.
Game development in Asia as a whole is experiencing a renaissance with crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo upping the ante, and becoming viable options for raising capital. But how many Indonesian game developers have actually reached their goal with crowdfunding campaigns? In no particular order, here are the four that Tech in Asia is aware of.
Touchten Games
This week, local game development firm Touchten announced it had successfully raised US$10,000 on Kickstarter for its latest game Target Acquired.
The successful campaign marks Touchten’s first attempt to deploy a game via crowdfunding. However, Touchten founder Anton Soeharyo concedes that his firm has enough money to launch the game with or without a Kickstarter campaign, but claims that using the crowdfunding platform has been an interesting way to engage its users prior to launch.
On Target Acquired, the main character is a female cat police officer tasked to safeguard the city from a notorious thief robot. Touchten describes the endless side-scrolling runner game as a combination of Temple Run and Mega Man.
See: How TouchTen touched the hearts of gamers
Tinker Games
In June, Tinker Games pulled in a whopping US$52,700 on Kickstarter for its game Pale Blue in what is so far Indonesia’s biggest game-related crowdfunding campaign.
Pale Blue is the story of Ellen, a normal girl who is kidnapped by an evil organization and endowed with superpowers. Ellen proceeds to bring fear and chaos upon the world; brawling with superheroes and carrying a hatred for mankind. Bandung-based Tinker originally set the target for its PC game at US$48,000, and was pleasantly surprised when the funding exceeded expectations.
Digital Happiness
In May of 2013, Bandung-based game development firm Digital Happiness successfully raised more than US$29,000 on Indiegogo to develop the now famous (within gamer circles) 3D horror title DreadOut.
DreadOut tells the story of an Indonesian high school girl who ventures into terrifying places armed only with a smartphone and camera. She is soon confronted by ghosts and other evil forces. The game is for PC, and feels nostalgically reminiscent of classic horror titles like Silent Hill or Resident Evil.
See: DreadOut review: I’m terrified of Indonesia now
Ekuator Games
Last April, Indonesian game firm Ekuator Games in Bandung raised NZD$60,630 (US$47,039) on Kickstarter for its only game to date Celestial Tales: Old North. The game is an RPG for PC with a retro feel. There are six playable characters inside the game, each with multiple ending scenarios. Ekuator created 20 hours of gameplay for each character.
The amount Ekuator raised for the project via crowdfunding was more than 200 percent of its goal, and Celestial Tales has received positive reviews from gaming media such as GameZone and Gaming Blend.
This post These 4 Indonesian game developers are kicking ass with crowdfunding appeared first on Tech in Asia.
These 4 Indonesian game developers are kicking ass with crowdfunding
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