10 Key People Driving Success for Indonesian Game Publishers

The Indonesian game industry has increased tremendously due to the rapidly developing interest in mobile gaming and the rise of internet users. This growth created an opportunity for people with great talent to create successful game development studios and publishing companies. Some other major driving forces that contribute to the success of Indonesian game publishers include the rich talent pool of creative minds who understand the Indonesian market and the technical skills and creative prowess for developing quality games. Now, let's dive into some of the major figures behind the Indonesian gaming industry's success.

1. Arief Widhiyasa - CEO of Agate International

Arief Widhiyasa is one of the more well-known individuals in the Indonesian gaming industry, primarily due to his fame as the current CEO of Agate International. Under his leadership, Agate has grown to be one of the best game development studios in Indonesia and has been developing numerous successful titles.

Widhiyasa's entrepreneurial journey started early, fueled by his lifelong passion for gaming. His enthusiasm led him to co-found Agate in 2009, which has since grown from a small studio into a major player in the global gaming industry.

Under Widhiyasa's leadership, Agate has achieved significant success. The studio has developed a range of popular games, both original and licensed, and expanded into international markets. Widhiyasa’s ability to spot emerging trends has been a key factor in Agate’s success.

Popular Games Published by Agate:

• Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story is a game released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, with another release on Steam. The initial plan for this game was under the title "Valthirian Arc: Red Covenant" and was crowdfunded on Kickstarter.
• Sengoku IXA: This game has been developed by Square Enix and is extremely popular in Japan, gaining 1.1 million players.
• Football Saga: This browser-based football simulator turned out to be a huge success, once reaching 58,000 monthly users and 10,000 active daily users back in 2012.

2. Rachmad Imron – CEO of Digital Happiness

Rachmad Imron is the CEO of Digital Happiness—a video game development studio in Bandung, Indonesia. He has been passionate about playing video games, which led him to embark on a journey to become an Indonesian game publisher and developer. His experience began as a lecturer at Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where he founded Digital Happiness in 2012 with Vadi Vanadi, Sukmadi, and Dwi Arif Irawan.

Rachmad Imron has also garnered various indie nominations, including Indie of the Year 2014: Adventure Games and FEAR Awards for Scariest Game of the Year and Best New Horror IP of the year. He also won an award for Best Startup Company at the Bubu Awards in 2013.

Popular Games Published by Digital Happiness:

• DreadOut: A supernatural Indonesian horror game full of local folklore and spooky elements.
• DreadOut 2: The long-awaited sequel of the first DreadOut, in which players will be able to experience a much more immersive and terrifying game compared to its predecessor.
• Horror Doll: A psychological horror game that deals with the thin line between fears, loneliness, and the supernatural.

3. Anton Soeharyo - CEO of Touchten Games

Anton Soeharyo, founder and chief executive officer of Touchten Games, has been one of the major stakeholders in developing the mobile gaming scene in Indonesia. His lifelong passion for gaming drove him on the path to set up one of the most successful mobile game development studios in Indonesia.

Anton grew up in a family that loved gaming, which sparked his early passion for the industry. Combined with his desire to be an entrepreneur, this passion led him to co-found Touchten Games with his brother Rokimas Soeharyo in 2009.

The company witnessed significant growth since it was launched, developing and publishing a catalog of over 20 games in seven years, with millions of players worldwide. Touchten Games is known for collaborating with world-renowned brands such as Zico, KakaoTalk, and 9GAG.

Popular Games Published by Touchten Games:

• Sushi Chain: A casual puzzle game that has been downloaded more than 3 million times around the world.
• Infinite Sky: This was a very famous 3D flight shooter game and successfully cracked the top 10 in the iOS App Store chart across 43 countries.

4. Kris Antoni – CEO of Toge Productions

Kris Antoni is a game developer and entrepreneur from Indonesia, best known as the founder and chief executive officer of Toge Productions—an independent game studio in Yogyakarta. Back in 2009, Kris founded Toge Productions with the goal of creating original games developed in Indonesia. At its start, the studio was small but it quickly rose to fame for its peculiar and innovative titles.

Their games have been featured in the largest gaming events such as E3 and Gamescom with international audiences. The studio is further partnered up with leading gaming companies and platforms for the global distribution of its titles. Besides, he is known to be one of the Indonesian gaming industry's pioneers. He has helped put the country on the map thanks to their talented game developers and creative content.

Popular Games Published by Toge Productions:

• Infectonator: A strategy game in which the player must infect the whole population with a virus.
• Coffee Talk: A visual novel about a barista in futuristic Seattle where the player serves coffee to supernatural creatures.

5. Riris Marpaung - Founder of Gambreng Games

Riris Marpaung is the founder of Gambreng Games and has provided significant contributions to the Indonesian game publishers' community. A university librarian by origin, Riris continued working in the same library after graduating from the University of Indonesia. Her fate brought her into contact with Dodick Sudirman, an IT lecturer who dreamed of opening up a game studio. After having cooperated on many campus events, including the Gaming Developers Meetup, in 2013, Riris and Dodick decided to establish Gambreng Games.

Top Games Published by Gambreng Games:

• Prototype: This is an excellent game system that challenges the player to solve a set of problems with the character's shadow. The player solves the problems by exercising control over the shadow of his character.
• Laron: This is a combination of a platformer and puzzle game that needs strategy and fast reflexes.

6. Fahrurrozy Yasin - CEO of Ozysoft Studio

Fahrurrozy Yasin is a young visionary leader of game development businesses in Indonesia and the founder and CEO of Ozysoft Studio. Based in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Ozysoft Studio focuses on nourishing and empowering young talents from Tanah Grogot, Paser Regency, East Kalimantan.

It all began with the initial funding for their first game, Pulang: Insanity, through seed investment. This marked the start of Ozysoft Studio's journey to create innovative and culturally rich video games. The studio is committed to producing unique and engaging games that celebrate Indonesia’s rich heritage and mythology.

Top Games Put Out by Ozysoft Studio:

• Pulang: Insanity: The first game by Ozysoft, which opened the doors to their unique style and way of storytelling for players.
• Buramato: The latest project of the studio that dives deep into the mythology of Kalimantan and brings a new kind of gaming experience.

7. Andi Suryanto - CEO of LYTO Game

Andi Suryanto’s passion for gaming started during his school years. After graduating, he and his brother and friend started a business selling games, focusing on the new opportunities in the online gaming market in Indonesia.

In 2009, Suryanto established LYTO Game to offer high-quality online games in Indonesia. The company expanded into the global mobile gaming market in 2015. LYTO has since launched over twenty games for PC and mobile platforms. With more than 25 million users in Indonesia and around the world, LYTO Games, under Andi Suryanto’s leadership, has become a prominent name among Indonesian game publishers and achieved significant international success.

Popular Games Published by LYTO Game:

• Point Blank: A very popular FPS game, well-known and famous within the gaming community in Indonesia.
• Cabal Online: A fantasy MMORPG with fast action.
• Dragon Nest: Another very famous MMORPG, this time featuring an anime graphical style and engaging fights.

8. Reza Febri Nanda - CEO of Gamecom

One of those Indonesian game publishers who have prominently risen to the surface is Reza Febri Nanda, the CEO of Gamecom. His passion for gaming combined with good business insight has put many companies on the right path to success. Reza is very active in creating a vibrant game community in Indonesia. He often joins industrial events, conferences, or workshops to meet up with fellow developers, players, and other stakeholders.

Popular Games Published by Gamecom:

• Troublemaker: It tells the story of "Para Gank Cuk", with its band "Beyond Dream," struggling with a series of problems and hardships. Released in 2018, the game gained huge recognition on gaming platform, with more than 600 reviews on Steam, keeping a very positive overall score of 91 percent.

9. Adam Ardisasmita - CEO of Arsanesia

Adam Ardisasmita is a famous Indonesian game publisher, CEO, and co-founder of Arsanesia, well-known for its mission to bring rich Indonesian culture into the global stage. His gaming journey began in 2011 when he founded Arsanesia. To this day, he has worked on several game development projects in almost every available position: product manager, producer, game designer, UX designer, and programmer.

Under his leadership, Arsanesia has expanded by creating a new division named Arsa Kids, which specializes in educational games for children. Additionally, in 2021, Arsanesia, as a prominent Indonesian game publisher, introduced Reality Chain, a blockchain-based metaverse service.

Popular Games Published by Arsanesia:

• Summer Town: A mobile simulation game where players can dress up, make up, and decorate their virtual pets to be the greatest influencer on social media in Summer Town.
• Si Juki Warteg Mania: A casual simulation game featuring the biggest Comic IP in Indonesia, Si Juki.

10. Soma Putera - Founder of Stairway Games

Soma Putera, the founder of Stairway Games, has played a key role in advancing the Indonesian game publisher industry. With a vision to create exceptional and engaging games, Putera grew Stairway Games into a globally recognized name. His drive for innovation and passion for gaming were crucial to the studio's success. One of their major achievements was gaining international attention on Kickstarter for their farming simulation game, Coral Island.

Popular Games Stairway Games Has Published:

• Coral Island: A farming simulation game that saw significant international attention and interest.
• Ninja Must Die: An action game that demonstrates the studio's expertise in creating compelling and truly challenging playing experiences.

These ten people are the faces of the game industry in Indonesia—how their ideas, leadership skills, and commitment within each of their respected companies have been the powerhouse for success, and together they have given Indonesian game publishers increased influence in the global stage. Indubitably, the role of these key figures will be instrumental in shaping this industry in the future.

Here’s a tip: partnering with Digital-Trans Asia can further raise the chances of success for your game publishing company. Digital-Trans Asia is the companion that will make international success possible by building the connection between you and the international audiences. Contact us today to learn more about how we at Digital-Trans Asia can help you in your journey to global success.