We had the opportunity to interview Kris Antoni, the CEO and Co-Founder of Toge Productions, during IGDX 2024. As a key figure in the Indonesian indie game development scene, Antoni shared valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing Southeast Asian game developers and publishers. His perspective offers a unique glimpse into the evolving landscape of indie game development and publishing in the region.

From Flash Games to Global Publishing

Toge Productions, founded in 2009, has undergone a remarkable transformation over the years. Antoni elaborated on their journey:

“Our company started back in around 2009 by making Flash games. And around 2012, 2013 to 2014, Flash media was starting to die. And a lot of Southeast Asian developers had to pivot to other platforms like mobile and PC and stuff like that.”

This transition wasn’t just a change in technology, but a fundamental shift in their business model. As Flash games declined, Toge Productions recognized the need to adapt to new platforms and markets. They expanded their operations, establishing development studios in various Indonesian cities including Tangerang, Surabaya, and Kediri. This expansion allowed them to tap into diverse talent pools across the country and broaden their creative capabilities.

The company’s evolution from a small Flash game developer to a multi-faceted organization with both development and publishing arms reflects the rapid changes in the gaming industry over the past decade. It also demonstrates Toge Productions’ ability to anticipate and adapt to market trends, positioning themselves as leaders in the Southeast Asian indie game scene.

“We have a few studios spread across Indonesia, one in Tangerang, Surabaya, and Kediri. And we help publish games from other Southeast Asian developers to the global market.”

Bridging the Gap for Southeast Asian Developers

Antoni highlighted the motivation behind their move into publishing, revealing the challenges faced by local developers:

“We realized that there’s a lot of other developers in Southeast Asia that’s experiencing the same problem, but they just don’t have the funds or the resources to go abroad and meet those publishers. So we started trying to think of ways how we can bridge that gap.”

Toge Productions’ publishing arm aims to provide comprehensive support to indie developers, including funding, game design consultation, marketing, and distribution. This holistic approach allows local developers to focus on creating innovative games while gaining access to global markets they might otherwise struggle to reach.

The decision to enter publishing wasn’t just a business move, but a response to a critical need in the Southeast Asian game development community. Antoni explained their initial approach: “In the beginning we started by doing collaborations with other studios in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. But then pitching your games to international publishers, sometimes because you don’t have a track record or you don’t have a reputation yet, they kind of push it aside a little bit, they don’t really care.”

This realization led to a pivotal decision: “So we thought, ‘Okay, why not just do it ourselves?’ And that’s why around 2016 to 2017, we decided to make our own publishing division.”

Challenges in the Southeast Asian Market

The interview revealed unique challenges in the local market, particularly the disconnect between local publishers and developers. Kris Antoni explained the historical context:

“A lot of the publishers focus more on licensing games from Korea, Japan, or China and then releasing it on the local market. And when they look at the local game developers, because since we’re just like small indie devs, we couldn’t provide them with the same scale of games that they got the license from Japan or Korea.”

This gap between what local publishers were seeking and what local developers could produce created a significant barrier for the growth of the indie game scene in Southeast Asia. This insight sheds light on why many talented developers in the region struggled to find local support, forcing them to look internationally or risk remaining undiscovered. Antoni further elaborated:

“So there’s a gap in what they’re looking for and what can actually be produced by the local developers. So the local publishers, I think they feel that it’s too much of a risk to invest in the local studios because there’s a huge scale gap experience and all that.”

Gaming Preferences and Market Dynamics

Antoni provided a nuanced view of the gaming preferences in Southeast Asia compared to international markets:

“Because of the people in Southeast Asia, I guess they’re more used to playing free-to-play games because they don’t want to spend $20 or $30 upfront for a game, so they prefer downloading a free game and then playing it over time. And then if they like it, then they’ll spend some on in-app purchases, but it’s just like a completely different mindset.”

This preference for free-to-play models has shaped the local gaming industry, often pushing developers towards mobile and live service games. However, Antoni also noted a gradual shift in local gaming habits:

“Because when you look at the mobile games, most of them are using a similar format. So I think a lot of people are starting to get bored of that kind of formula, where you do this gacha, and then they are looking for other new experiences that are not available in the free-to-play mobile games.”

This evolving market dynamic presents both challenges and opportunities for indie developers in the region, as they navigate between local preferences and global market trends. Kris Antoni sees this as an opportunity for indie games to gain traction:

“Once they realize that there’s more to games and then once they’ve discovered indie games, I think they will start to appreciate that and you know start to play more different games and then slowly appreciating more Southeast Asian game developers with the games that’s being produced in the region.”

Supporting Emerging Developers

Recognizing the need to nurture new talent, Toge Productions created the Toge Game Fund Initiative. Kris Antoni described the program in detail:

“We have a program called Toge Game Fund Initiative and the purpose for that program is that we want to provide a safety net for young developers so that they can experiment and fail but they can also bounce back. So in the program we provided up to ten thousand dollars and they don’t have to pay that back.”

The program is designed to be flexible and developer-friendly:

“It’s not a loan. So it’s basically we’re giving them this amount of cash and we’re gonna give it in milestones. But the milestone is, basically it’s the milestone that the developer proposed. So if they wanna make some kind of prototype or like a vertical slice, how many months and what are the milestones? They basically have to pitch us and propose to us.”

This approach not only provides financial support but also helps developers learn about the pitching and development process. The initiative reflects Toge Productions’ commitment to fostering a thriving indie game ecosystem in Southeast Asia, looking beyond immediate commercial success to build a sustainable industry. Antoni emphasized the importance of learning through experience:

“I think the best way for them to understand how to do market research and all of that is by failing. So they have to actually fail and then learn from that experience and then improve on the next game.”

Publishing Criteria and Vision

When asked about their publishing criteria, Kris Antoni emphasized their open-minded approach:

“We don’t have a hard criteria. So we have an internal team that look at game pitches, looks at the game prototypes and stuff like that. And if somebody can champion a game and if they feel like, ‘Oh yeah, I really like this game,’ then maybe that could be the game that fits.”

This flexible approach allows Toge Productions to consider a wide range of projects, fostering diversity and innovation in their portfolio. Antoni did note some preferences for their internal projects:

“The games that we develop internally. We tried to have some kind of Southeast Asian flavor a little bit inside the game. And then we have kind of like a modern retro aesthetic. Those are the games that we produce internally.”

This approach allows Toge Productions to support a wide range of creative visions while still maintaining a distinct identity through their internally developed projects. However, for games they publish, the criteria are much broader:

“But for the games that we publish, I guess there’s no limit. As long as we have somebody in our team that is really passionate or like we feel that this game could be something bigger, meaningful, or maybe a successful commercial, then there’s no really other requirements.”

The Future of Southeast Asian Game Development

Looking ahead, Antoni expressed optimism about the region’s potential:

“I think for the Southeast Asia game development scene, everything has just started. It’s still very young, so there’s a lot of opportunity, there’s a lot of talent, there’s a lot of cool history or culture that’s not yet graced the mainstream media. So there’s a lot of opportunity to bring that to international levels and then use that as a unique selling point. I think it’s definitely going to be bigger in the near future.”

Antoni sees the rich cultural heritage of Southeast Asia as a untapped resource for game developers, offering unique stories and perspectives that can set their games apart in the global market. He believes that as the local industry matures and gains more international recognition, it will attract more attention and investment.

As the interview concluded, it was clear that Kris Antoni and Toge Productions are playing a crucial role in nurturing the growth of the indie game industry in Southeast Asia. By bridging the gap between local talent and the global market, fostering innovation, and promoting cultural representation in game development, they are helping to pave the way for a new generation of Southeast Asian game developers to make their mark on the world stage.