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Indie game developers rarely get a stage built just for them. Most of the time, they’re squeezed into a corner of a bigger convention, hoping a passerby stops long enough to notice their game. That’s the gap Elicia Lee and her team at Eliphant have spent the last three years trying to close through Indie Wavemakers. This year, that effort grew into something bigger: Indie Wavemaker Exchange, the group’s first standalone event. We sat down with Elicia for an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the event to talk about how it came together, how the community responded, and where things might go from here.
Where It All Started
Elicia is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Eliphant Pte Ltd, the company behind Indie Wavemakers. She explained that the initiative was never meant to stop at games, even though that’s where it began.
“Indie Wavemakers is our initiative to support indie games, and eventually, not just games,” she said. “We’re starting with games because that’s what we know and where our expertise lies, but the hope is that Indie Wavemakers will eventually extend to indie creators across different industries.”
The initiative launched in 2023 together with Gamescom Asia, who served as their event partner at the time. Since then, the team has produced content around indie games and their developers, giving them exposure and marketing material they could use on their own channels. They’ve also set up Indie Wavemakers booths at regional events like Gamescom Asia, IGDX, and Taipei Game Show, where they run interviews and gameplay sessions with exhibiting developers.
Giving Developers a Spotlight
A big part of what Indie Wavemakers does is create short, social media-friendly content that developers can use to promote their own games. Elicia described how the process works on the ground.
“Our team, a small film crew, flies out to or attends these events, works with the organiser to curate a list of indie games and developers showcasing on the show floor, and schedules one-to-one interviews with them,” she said.
From there, the team turns those interviews into short pieces where developers introduce themselves and their games, content that’s easy to share and gives smaller studios a bit more visibility than they might otherwise get.
A New Kind of Event
Indie Wavemakers Exchange marks a shift from supporting other people’s events to running one of their own. Elicia said the idea had been building for a while. “We’ve always known that eventually we’d need to launch our own event,” she said.
“But this year, we launched Indie Wavemakers Exchange as our own event, specifically a B2B-focused event targeted at game developers of all kinds.”
That includes developers who have already shipped games, those just starting out, and students exploring careers in the industry or thinking about starting their own studios. The goal, she said, was to bring in real expertise through the speakers and sessions, and to offer more than just talks. “Not just talks, but tangible activities where attendees could come and get concrete feedback and real, actionable value,” she added.
A Strong Turnout
Since this was the first time Eliphant ran an event under its own name, there was no guarantee people would show up. Elicia admitted the team went in without knowing what to expect. “We weren’t entirely sure whether there’d be demand for something like this. This event was very much a test to see if there was a genuine need for it in the industry, especially here in Singapore,” she said.
By the end of the day, she was pleased with how things went. “The turnout today has been really, really good. Better than we expected,” she said, adding that the feedback from attendees had been positive, with many expressing hope for a future edition.
Pitch Clinics and Portfolio Reviews
Rather than run a standard conference, the team kept the first edition small, aiming for around 100 people in a one-day format with a small showcase area and a single track of talks. Two programs stood out to Elicia in particular. The first was a pitch clinic, where developers presented their pitches to a panel for direct feedback. She noted that this kind of session hasn’t been common in the region recently, and credited the Southeast Asia Game Showcase crew for helping run it.
The second was a portfolio review session featuring Al Yang from Neobards and Teo Kah Hui, Portfolio Director at Keyword Studios. Attendees submitted or brought their portfolios and received feedback on the spot.
“They went through them on the spot, giving real-time feedback, telling people where they could improve, what impressions they gave, and having genuine discussions about what the person was trying to achieve and what message they were trying to communicate,” Elicia said. She added that the response to both programs was strong, and one of the pitch clinic panellists told her the sessions were valuable from their side too. Instead of quick, surface-level introductions, the format allowed for deeper conversations about the games and the ideas behind them.
Staying Rooted in Singapore
Asked whether Indie Wavemakers Exchange might expand to other countries, Elicia said there are no firm plans yet. “We’re based in Singapore and as Singaporeans, we want to support the local scene first,” she said. “The plan for now is to hold it here. If we do this again next year, we’re definitely doing it in Singapore.”
She said the team remains open to other locations if there’s demand, but wants to get the format right at home first. Since this was their first event, she said they’re actively collecting feedback to shape future editions. She also pointed out that running events in Singapore comes with real costs, and that the event currently runs without government support.
“We really believe there is a need for this kind of support in the industry, and there isn’t a lot of it in Singapore right now. If you want to grow the industry, someone’s got to step up,” she said.
Advice for Developers
Elicia doesn’t come from a development background herself. She works in marketing and events, though she’s also Co-founder of an indie studio, Battlebrew Productions, and said she’s passionate about the industry as a whole.
Her advice to developers came from what she’s observed while running events and travelling across the region.
“Be clear about what you want to do, and be open-minded, because opportunities can come from places you never expected,” she said. She added that events like Indie Wavemakers Exchange exist for a simple reason: to give developers a chance to network, meet people, and make connections that could lead to future opportunities.
