Local Gaming Industry Progressed, But Access to Funding Remains Constrained

Agate CEO, Shieny Aprilia (photo: Dinda Buana/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian gaming industry continues to show positive development. In fact, Shieny Aprilia, CEO of local game development studio Agete, stated that the number of games made by local Indonesian studios has now surpassed that of Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

"Actually, games from Indonesia have become the most, at least in terms of quantity, they've become number one in Southeast Asia," Shieny told VOI when asked about the development of the local gaming industry at the Digital Transformation Summit 2025 (DTS) held by Selular Media Network on Tuesday, August 26.

She added, "So, I think this is quite an achievement, because we in the Indonesian gaming industry may have only been active for the last 5-10 years, but we've already surpassed Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam."

Meanwhile, in terms of quality, Shieny also emphasized that Indonesian-made games are equally competitive, especially in Southeast Asia. However, she believes funding remains a major challenge for the industry to become more competitive in the global market.

On the other hand, neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia have already provided concrete support through various funding schemes, incentives, and acceleration programs.

"I think this is a good start, and actually, to further develop the game in the future, there are various factors we must consider. First, funding, how to get more funding for game development," Shieny explained further.

According to her, with support such as grants, tax offsets, or tax incentives, local game development studios could have more resources to develop games and increase iterations.

Shafiq Husein, Chairman of the Indonesian Game Association (AGI), expressed a similar sentiment, stating that the global game market currently has a valuation of US$187 billion, twice that of the film and music industries combined.

Indonesia has a market value of Rp30 trillion, the highest in Southeast Asia and ranked 15th globally. However, only 2.5 percent of the national market value is enjoyed by local developers.

"Currently, revenue from local game development is only Rp 750 billion per year, equivalent to just 2.5% of the Indonesian market. This means 97.5% goes to foreign games. Furthermore, the local industry is also hampered in accessing initial funding to compete with foreign products in its own market," said Shafiq.