Taiwanese indie gaming has come a long way in a short time.
Detention now feels like a spark that led to a quiet explosion.
The growth has been equally evident to those in the midst of it.
“There were only around 15 Taiwanese booths, and this was the biggest game convention in Taiwan!
Another issue is work culture, which is “very focused on overworking,” Tsypljak says.
Now, however, there are more resources to help fledging developers strike good deals and manage workflow.
“We have very positive and active indie groups in Taiwan,” they say.
“Our biggest indie group is IGD SHARE.
A lot of talented game designers share their knowledge on the site and stream onTwitchevery month.
Overall I think the resources are enough for someone who wants to make games from scratch.”
These resources have helped CGCG find the right support for their work.
“It is very difficult [to secure funding],” PP says.
“After all, making games is a very high risk investment compared to other industries.
But we got funds from an angel investor, DIT Startup and some government grants.”
SIGONO took a different route, initially self-publishing their wares on mobile platforms.
Thanks to positive feedback and reviews, the OPUS series has now accumulated over 10 million mobile downloads worldwide.
Yet if this sounds very straightforward, Chen clarifies it was anything but.
In the future, however, the bigger problem may be releasing games in the Chinese mainland.
“It’s always tricky to deal with the Chinese market for the Taiwanese,” says PP.
The looming issue though is that China may soon ban the global version of Steam altogether.
“When it comes to PC games, maybe three or four get through every quarter.”
“I’ve had quite a lot of bad experiences,” he continues.
Or if you send me the questions in English, we’ll do the translation.'
But 99 percent of them say it’s too much work.
Chen has had similar problems, even though he’s fluent in English.
“Selling a game without cultural barriers is difficult enough.
Do they even make games over there?'”
If Taiwan’s recent indie output is anything to go by, we shouldn’t need much more persuasion.
This newly thriving scene deserves every chance it can get.
