I spoke with Xbox’s Jun Shen Chia about their growing support for Southeast Asian indie devs. From funding and marketing to developer showcases and Game Pass potential, here’s how Xbox is helping Philippine studios break into the global stage.

Fairplay Studios’ Nightmare Circus is a cute-yet-creepy action adventure where you use puppet strings to fight, explore, and escape a twisted world. Shown during a Southeast Asian Xbox developer session, the game is still early in development but is a promising title to keep an eye on.

A haunting 2D Soulslike with striking hand-drawn visuals, Vapor World: Over the Mind blends precise, parry-based combat with a grim steampunk world. Developed by Korea’s ALIVE Inc., the game stood out in Xbox’s Southeast Asia showcase and is heading to Steam Early Access soon.

Kriegsfront Tactics is a new mecha strategy game from the makers of Coffee Talk, inspired by classics like Front Mission and XCOM. Set in an alternate 1970s Southeast Asia, it blends tactical mech combat, mental state mechanics, and bullet-based accuracy. A playable demo is available now on Steam.

13Z: The Zodiac Trials is a stylish roguelike from Singapore’s Mixed Realms, featuring fast-paced hack-and-slash action with co-op chaos and expressive gameplay. We got a closer look during an Xbox developer session spotlighting Southeast Asian indie talent.

Curve Games and developer Microbird announced that their upcoming indie game Dungeons of Hinterberg is set to launch on July 18, 2024, on Xbox Series X|S, PC (windows and Steam), and Xbox Game Pass.

I got to talk with the developers of Fallen Tear: The Ascension and I emerged from the interview not only intrigued by what they are creating but also impressed by the passion the developers infused into the project.

During the ID@Xbox digital event we attended, we saw four indie titles, and one of them was Go Go Town! a cute-looking cozy town-building game with 4-player couch co-op at launch. This title is being developed by developer Prideful Sloth, which is currently just a 5-man team based in Australia.