I hadn’t given much thought to the Philippine indie game development scene until about a year ago, around June 4, 2020, when I first drafted this article. Although I knew Filipino game developers existed—evident from job listings in the field—I was more focused on popular indie titles. Consequently, I overlooked Filipino “indie gem” games, or Filipino indie /g/ems (where the /g/ is pronounced as a hard “g”), as I call them.

The Philippine indie game development scene has been gaining momentum, with numerous talented developers creating unique and culturally rich games. Despite challenges, these developers continue to showcase Filipino creativity and innovation in the gaming industry.

Rediscovering Filipino Indie Gems

Kapag hindi mo nakita, makikita mo!

As kids or teenagers (or even adults), we would usually hear this phrase from our elders or even our partners. It’s a bit difficult to translate, but in a sense, it’s kind of like, “If you can’t find it, you will experience my wrath!” For this topic, however, it’s more literal.

A year ago, I began exploring the Philippine indie game scene and discovered some remarkable titles. One such game is Putahe ng Ina Mo: Sinigang Edition by chikon club, a 3D cooking simulation reminiscent of Cooking Mama. This game offers a unique twist: the ingredients are already prepared neatly in your work area, and you only need to add them accordingly to make the recipe. Another notable title is BAYANI – Fighting Game by Ranida Games, an early-access 1v1 fighting game inspired by Philippine historical figures.

Around the same time, or maybe just a few days after initially drafting this article, I bought the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality on Itch.io and was surprised to see a few Filipino indie (tabletop) /g/ems, as well.

From here on, I started researching more Filipino game developers and felt inspired to write this article.

The Pioneer of the Philippine Gaming Industry

The very first Filipino game development company I remember is Anino Games. Founded in 2001, I recall sending my CV/resume to them as I had always been personally interested in the game development industry—whether as a developer or a concept artist. As a kid, I loved playing video games and thought working in a game development company would satiate this thirst for doing something you love.

I remember their game Anito: Defend A Land Enraged (2003), a third-person, single-player RPG heavily inspired by the Diablo game and Filipino mythology and folklore.

Notable Philippine Indie Game Developers

• Keybol Games: Based in Pampanga, they started with browser games in 2009, with their latest game, Jack Axe, releasing soon on Steam.
• Nico Tuason: An indie developer who began creating games in 2010 as a passion project. His latest game, Lithium City, an isometric cyberpunk shooter, is available on Steam.
• Ranida Games: Founded in 2015 in San Pedro, Laguna, they developed BAYANI – Fighting Game and PBA Basketball Slam: Arcade Edition, both available on Steam.
• Squeaky Wheel: Their first game, Political Animals (2016), is a strategy game available on Steam.

The Philippine indie game scene continues to grow, with developers overcoming challenges to bring Filipino culture and stories to the global gaming community.

(Very) Honorable Mentions

Don’t get me wrong; these are some of the Philippine game studios that I think are more established now.

• Secret 6, LLC: A veteran game development company based in San Francisco, the Philippines, and Madrid. They specialize in 3D art for AAA games, full game production, and engineering. In 2016, they revealed a 3v3 team-based first-person shooter game called Project Xandata.
• Kooapps: A mobile game design and development studio with offices in Seattle and Manila. They have produced several chart-topping apps, including Pictoword and Pocket Family.
• ThinkBIT Solutions: A software and game development company based in Quezon City. They have developed games like Fall Down and Darkest Light: Survivor.

These studios have significantly contributed to the growth of the Philippine game development industry and continue to inspire aspiring developers.

Takeaways

I’m a bit disappointed that we don’t get to see a lot of these in the media (that or maybe, I just haven’t been actively reading any news articles lately) and that the game development industry here in the Philippines is not as big as it is in other countries. But at least schools nowadays cater to this industry.

It’s also good that there are a lot of online platforms nowadays that allow indie developers to make and publish games at, like Itch.io, Steam, iTunes or Google Play. Even with just a small capital and great dedication, hard work and passion, one could easily start developing games. I guess my role, as a casual gamer and blogger, would be to show my support to my fellow Filipinos by playing their games, or if not, by spreading the word, hoping there’s somebody else out there that fits the games’ target audiences.