Through nation's rich heritage, Indonesian game developers debut new creations to captivate global audience.
TOKYO, Sept. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Archipelageek, the Indonesian pavilion, has enthralled thousands of game enthusiasts at Asia's largest video game expo, Tokyo Game Show 2018, held from September 20-23, 2018 at Makuhari Messe, International Conference Hall, Chiba, Japan.
Initiated by the Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy (BEKRAF) and the Indonesian Game Association (AGI), Archipelageek reinforces the rich cultural heritage of the Indonesian archipelago through mobile-ready interactive experiences. Seven game developers were selected to showcase Indonesia's game development capabilities to global investors, especially those from Japan. The chosen exhibitors are Agate, Studio Namaapa, Megaxus, Melon Gaming, Lentera Nusantara, Wisageni Studio, and Semisoft.
Joshua Puji Mulia Simandjuntak, Deputy Chairman for Marketing of BEKRAF, said that BEKRAF and Indonesia's main purpose is to forge ties with potential buyers and investors. In this case, it works through a series of state-of-the-art technologies that have strong links to Indonesian culture and heritage.
"This is a unique opportunity for Indonesia to preserve our intangible cultural heritage through digital technologies. With its growing popularity, Indonesian web-based and mobile games will continue to outperform other sectors and attract more global audiences," said Joshua.
Hundreds of visitors have attended the event each day, looking to experience the art, story, and rich cultural heritage behind each creation. Asian-made interactive games were the hot-favorites by international buyers from Asia and United States.
"We not only aim to promote our locally-developed games, but also to obtain feedback from potential buyers across these regions, in an effort to understand and meet global needs," said Dave Febrian, VP of Entertainment Games Division of Agate.
To create an impressive firsthand experience, traditional sounds from Indonesia or gamelan is embedded into Agate's forefront game development, Valthirian Arc -- Hero School Story. "We have translated this game into Japanese to reach a wider user base abroad. We know our games are a good match with the Japanese audience. By participating here, we aim to build some hype before the official launch at the end of this month," said Dave.
According to Jan Faris Majd, Operational Manager of AGI, game enthusiasts in Japan pay attention to the storylines of a game.
"We have been able to reach into our rich and unique Indonesian cultural heritage to create unique narratives. For example, we did this with the creation of hundreds of ghost characters in Ghost Parade, which proved most enticing. These storylines and characters have proven to be powerful attractions for many buyers." said Jan.
Through the development of Ghost Parade, Lentera Nusantara depicts Indonesia's mythical tales into interactive horror game characters. Ghost characters are also captured with traditional music, Banyuwangi's gending, to attract audience with the nation's identity. "The treasure is not just in technology. It is important to appreciate our rich national heritage as a new form of art and creation," said Azizah Assatari, CEO of Lentera Nusantara.
For a third consecutive year, BEKRAF has supported Indonesian game developer to the annual Tokyo Game Show. Bekraf continues to support local game developers to new markets and international events, in an effort to turn Indonesia into one of the world's leading creative economies by 2030.
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