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Scare tactics: Indonesian developers make international splash with local spooks
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Ghoulish tactics: 'Code Atma' by Agate is a colorful role-playing game (RPG) that involves tactical battles. (Courtesy of Agate International) (Personal collection/Agate International)
F
rom the golden cinematic era of horror queen Suzanna to the contemporary offerings of directors Joko Anwar and Timo Bros, Indonesian pop culture has long maintained its fascination with the macabre. Now, it’s made the digital leap to video games.
Unlike other industries like literature and film, the local gaming industry primarily targets a global audience instead of treating it as a secondary market.
“We always wanted to create a game that can expand beyond video games. We wanted to create intellectual property,” said Rachmad Imron, head of Digital Happiness in Bandung, West Java.
The game developer studio is one of Indonesia’s most successful, having launched its horror-series video game franchise DreadOut to wide international success, selling millions of copies.
“It’s easier for us to do horror,” Imron continued. “Almost everyone on the team loves horror, and there are definitely a lot of easily accessible materials. Just ask your friends if their school has its own horror stories, [there’s a] big chance it does.”
DreadOut became popular even before its official release in 2014, when Imron and his team used the IndieGogo crowdfunding platform in 2013 to fund the game. Fate was on their side: world No. 1 YouTuber PewDiePie reviewed a demo of DreadOut during the fundraising stage.
The video game’s storyline follows Linda, a high schooler trapped in a mysterious abandoned town. Imron says the team was inspired by the tropes in teen horror flicks, which is obvious in DreadOut’s plot and cast.
