SINGAPORE: Some Singapore-made video games are seeing a surge in visibility – and potential downloads of up to 1,000 copies – after being showcased at this year’s Singapore Comic Con (SGCC).
The event was held last weekend at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.
Industry players say conventions like SGCC are valuable for independent game developers, offering them access to publishers, investors, streamers and the media.
This year, the Singapore Games Association (SGGA) showcased 60 locally made titles at the event, including 20 playable demos at its booth, which drew a positive reaction from attendees.
Indie creators say such feedback is more than just validation – every player who enjoys a demo is also a potential buyer.
For developers, the number of players who add a title to their “wishlist” helps them estimate demand and even woo investors.
A game wishlist is a digital list on platforms like Steam where players save games they are interested in for future purchase.
Springloaded Games – a local studio behind titles including Let’s Build a Zoo and the upcoming Let’s Build a Dungeon – participates in conventions across Asia and Europe to boost its wishlist numbers and refine its games.
Events such as Gamescom in Germany and BitSummit in Japan allow the company to gather feedback and playtest prototypes.
This helps the firm gauge whether a game resonates beyond existing fans, said Grace, a Springloaded producer who goes by only one name.
The company has already amassed significant interest online for Let’s Build a Dungeon, in which players run a studio that is developing an online role-playing game.
"We have actually reached more than 100,000 (wishlists) this year. Most of them come from shows and also from Steam ales (and) Steam events,” added Grace.
Attendees trying out locally-made video games at the Singapore Comic Con.
Wishlist numbers can directly influence investor or publisher negotiations – a lifeline for small indie developers, who often have to bootstrap their way.
Battle Brew Productions, another Singapore-based developer, gained around 1,000 wishlists over the two-day SGCC for its featured title HellHeart Breaker.
“It's not locked in sales, they haven't paid yet, but it's a very good indicator of how much sales you're actually going to get … you can use those numbers also to help secure investors or publishers,” said CEO and creative director Shawn Toh.
He noted that strong wishlist performance directly empowers creators to be in a “much better position to negotiategood terms”.
High numbers “more or less guarantee commercial success – then you might not even need a publisher or investor,” he added.
While conventions provide vital face-to-face feedback, much of a game’s momentum still comes from online platforms.
Solo developer Zhou Xuanming of aliasBLACK Game Studio saw 100 wishlists at SGCC, but says regular online visibility has a higher payoff.
“Coverage from a streamer or a Steam festival could easily (bring in) 10 times the amount of sales, as opposed to even a pretty large convention,” said Mr Zhou.
He noted that Singapore’s small market size means developers must aim abroad.
"Singaporeans make up about 0.9 per cent of my sales. So, it's a very tiny portion … we always have to focus on the international stage,” he said.
The buzz at SGCC was not limited to digital creators. Local tabletop game designers also drew in crowds.
On the show floor, visitors browsed games inspired by familiar local icons – from iced gem biscuits to durians – reflecting a distinct Singapore flavour that creators say resonates with regional audiences.
Singapore-themed tabletop games on display at the Singapore Comic Con.
Industry veterans estimate that more than 4,500 Singapore-made board games have been sold abroad in the last year.
Much of this was driven by community-led efforts to showcase and distribute Singapore titles overseas.
The tabletop scene has expanded significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with some creators noting that the lockdown years introduced many to board games for the first time.
What once began with just a single table for players at events such as Comic Con has now grown into a full-fledged play area, complete with locally designed games available for purchase.
One distributor helping to drive this growth is #laiplayleow, which consolidates games from Singapore-based creators and brings them to conventions around the region.
The number of designers it represents has grown from 20 to more than 100 this year, and over 200 games have already been distributed abroad since July.
"We do want to show the Asian market (that) our Singaporean game designers are something to be looked upon,” said founder Benjamin Leow.
“We have games that promote our kopitiam culture … durian … even our orchids as well. So I think that's a beautiful thing to see.”
He noted that demand has spread well beyond Singapore. Publishers in East Malaysia, for instance, have sold out their stock of Singapore-made games. Titles have also reached Europe, for example in countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.
Attendees trying out tabletop games at the Singapore Comic Con.
Game designer Daryl Chow, co-founder of Origame, is also helping to expand regional awareness.
He started the Asian Board Games Festival in 2019, and its most recent Singapore edition in November drew more than 5,000 participants from over 10 countries.
“The biggest barrier (to playing a board game) is the rule book. So when we have these events, we can remove that barrier … people come in, just sit down (and the) game master will teach them how to play,” he said.
Ninety per cent of buyers for Mr Chow’s own games come from overseas, particularly in the UK and Australia.
“I think it's very nice to see that board games have been growing in the last few years … just by families wanting to find activities to have face-to-face engagement,” he added.
“We also make games that I think Singaporeans can feel like they can be proud of. They can feel ownership of these games … we're all very proud to make games that tell our story.”
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The event was held last weekend at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.
Industry players say conventions like SGCC are valuable for independent game developers, offering them access to publishers, investors, streamers and the media.
This year, the Singapore Games Association (SGGA) showcased 60 locally made titles at the event, including 20 playable demos at its booth, which drew a positive reaction from attendees.
Indie creators say such feedback is more than just validation – every player who enjoys a demo is also a potential buyer.
WISHLISTS MATTER
For developers, the number of players who add a title to their “wishlist” helps them estimate demand and even woo investors.
A game wishlist is a digital list on platforms like Steam where players save games they are interested in for future purchase.
Springloaded Games – a local studio behind titles including Let’s Build a Zoo and the upcoming Let’s Build a Dungeon – participates in conventions across Asia and Europe to boost its wishlist numbers and refine its games.
Events such as Gamescom in Germany and BitSummit in Japan allow the company to gather feedback and playtest prototypes.
This helps the firm gauge whether a game resonates beyond existing fans, said Grace, a Springloaded producer who goes by only one name.
The company has already amassed significant interest online for Let’s Build a Dungeon, in which players run a studio that is developing an online role-playing game.
"We have actually reached more than 100,000 (wishlists) this year. Most of them come from shows and also from Steam ales (and) Steam events,” added Grace.
Attendees trying out locally-made video games at the Singapore Comic Con.
Wishlist numbers can directly influence investor or publisher negotiations – a lifeline for small indie developers, who often have to bootstrap their way.
Battle Brew Productions, another Singapore-based developer, gained around 1,000 wishlists over the two-day SGCC for its featured title HellHeart Breaker.
“It's not locked in sales, they haven't paid yet, but it's a very good indicator of how much sales you're actually going to get … you can use those numbers also to help secure investors or publishers,” said CEO and creative director Shawn Toh.
He noted that strong wishlist performance directly empowers creators to be in a “much better position to negotiategood terms”.
High numbers “more or less guarantee commercial success – then you might not even need a publisher or investor,” he added.
ONLINE EXPOSURE STILL DOMINATES
While conventions provide vital face-to-face feedback, much of a game’s momentum still comes from online platforms.
Solo developer Zhou Xuanming of aliasBLACK Game Studio saw 100 wishlists at SGCC, but says regular online visibility has a higher payoff.
“Coverage from a streamer or a Steam festival could easily (bring in) 10 times the amount of sales, as opposed to even a pretty large convention,” said Mr Zhou.
He noted that Singapore’s small market size means developers must aim abroad.
"Singaporeans make up about 0.9 per cent of my sales. So, it's a very tiny portion … we always have to focus on the international stage,” he said.
Related:
TABLETOP CREATIONS WIN GLOBAL FANS
The buzz at SGCC was not limited to digital creators. Local tabletop game designers also drew in crowds.
On the show floor, visitors browsed games inspired by familiar local icons – from iced gem biscuits to durians – reflecting a distinct Singapore flavour that creators say resonates with regional audiences.
Singapore-themed tabletop games on display at the Singapore Comic Con.
Industry veterans estimate that more than 4,500 Singapore-made board games have been sold abroad in the last year.
Much of this was driven by community-led efforts to showcase and distribute Singapore titles overseas.
The tabletop scene has expanded significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with some creators noting that the lockdown years introduced many to board games for the first time.
What once began with just a single table for players at events such as Comic Con has now grown into a full-fledged play area, complete with locally designed games available for purchase.
Related:
One distributor helping to drive this growth is #laiplayleow, which consolidates games from Singapore-based creators and brings them to conventions around the region.
The number of designers it represents has grown from 20 to more than 100 this year, and over 200 games have already been distributed abroad since July.
"We do want to show the Asian market (that) our Singaporean game designers are something to be looked upon,” said founder Benjamin Leow.
“We have games that promote our kopitiam culture … durian … even our orchids as well. So I think that's a beautiful thing to see.”
He noted that demand has spread well beyond Singapore. Publishers in East Malaysia, for instance, have sold out their stock of Singapore-made games. Titles have also reached Europe, for example in countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.
Attendees trying out tabletop games at the Singapore Comic Con.
Game designer Daryl Chow, co-founder of Origame, is also helping to expand regional awareness.
He started the Asian Board Games Festival in 2019, and its most recent Singapore edition in November drew more than 5,000 participants from over 10 countries.
“The biggest barrier (to playing a board game) is the rule book. So when we have these events, we can remove that barrier … people come in, just sit down (and the) game master will teach them how to play,” he said.
Ninety per cent of buyers for Mr Chow’s own games come from overseas, particularly in the UK and Australia.
“I think it's very nice to see that board games have been growing in the last few years … just by families wanting to find activities to have face-to-face engagement,” he added.
“We also make games that I think Singaporeans can feel like they can be proud of. They can feel ownership of these games … we're all very proud to make games that tell our story.”
Continue reading...