A Booming Young Market of 280 Million! “Games From Jakarta” Booth Report Showcases Indonesian Titles After “Coffee Talk” [TGS2026]

Computer games have now become a massive form of content that could be described as a “global language.”

At the Tokyo Game Show 2026 held recently, booths and pavilions from countries around the world were on display. Among them was the Indonesian pavilion, which has been gaining prominence in recent years. The pavilion, titled “Games From Jakarta,” showcased a variety of innovative games.

As someone who can barely manage everyday conversational Indonesian, I visited the pavilion to hear what they had to say!

What is the slow-life farming sim *Moonlit Orchard*?

Before getting into the main topic, let me briefly explain why I can speak Indonesian.

Until just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I frequently traveled to Indonesia and “sank” there. The term “sank” here means I wasn’t a resident of Indonesia (just to be clear, I wasn’t staying there illegally!).I spent months at a merchant inn in Yogyakarta, renewing my visa while observing Indonesia in the 2010s.

During this era, driven by the rapid proliferation of Android smartphones and the expansion of internet infrastructure, various new industries sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain.

Indonesia’s current population is approximately 280 million, with an average age of about 30. With such a large youth population, the gaming industry—centered around indie developers—grew at a staggering pace. The flagship title of this movement is *Coffee Talk*.

Around the time Joko Widodo took office as president, the country began focusing on promoting industries that harness the “power of youth.”While various emerging services that rely on online connectivity have caused some issues in certain areas, they continue to achieve results that are more than enough to demonstrate Indonesia’s potential to the world. I was able to witness this process firsthand.

With that in mind, let’s head over to the “Games From Jakarta” exhibit set up at Makuhari Messe.

“Selamat siang! This is ‘Moonlit Orchard,’ a game influenced by Japan’s ‘Harvest Moon’ series.”

Guided by a pavilion staff member, the first game I tried was *Moonlit Orchard* (Skyfy Studio), which has a page on Steam. Set in the fantasy world of Nusantara, it’s a slow-life farming simulation game whose defining feature is that different plants appear during the day and night.

Collecting wood and stone to craft various tools and build a house… in this sense, it could be described as a classic sandbox game, but at the same time, the character designs have an anime-inspired style reminiscent of *Genshin Impact*.

*The Blind Warrior*, set during the colonial era

Now, Indonesia, like Japan, is an “island nation with complex terrain.”

It is a country where distinct folk beliefs and legends exist in regions beyond the mountains, yet all regions share a history of having been “ruled by the Dutch.” The game *The Blind Warrior* (Rizero Studio) reflects this history.

The story is set in the 1860s. While Japan was undergoing a turbulent period transitioning from the Edo to the Meiji era, Dutch rule in Indonesia had continued since the 17th century. It tells the story of a blind warrior whose village was destroyed by Dutch forces, who skillfully wields the traditional martial art of Silat to confront gun-wielding Dutch soldiers.

A standout feature is the protagonist’s Silat animations. Since the game incorporates movements based on traditional forms and combat theory, it’s a title I’m excited to see how it develops.While the gameplay is very similar to *Ghost of Tsushima*, it appears to feature more complex controls designed to accurately recreate the movements of Silat. Consequently, the difficulty is quite high—I actually died during the tutorial. Grrrrr!

Games like this, richly infused with Indonesian culture, tradition, and history, align with the central government’s policy direction.

Since the time of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia has remained a country with a highly conservative economic stance. This means prioritizing “exports over imports” and “domestic investment over foreign investment.”While this approach can sometimes lead to sudden and overly heavy-handed measures (the 2022 Steam blocking incident being a prime example), the government has high hopes for local Indonesian developers to break into the global market—and, in doing so, to export “Indonesian values” as well.

Minister Who Blocked Steam in Indonesia Arrested… Facing Corruption Charges Involving 70 Billion Yen, Drawing a Storm of Criticism from Local Internet Users [Special Feature] | Game*Spark - Domestic and International Gaming News Site

Do you remember the “Steam Blocking Controversy” that took place in Indonesia last year?

https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2023/05/28/130372.html続きを読む »

Unrecognized Potential

Indonesian games incorporate influences from Japan and the U.S. while leveraging the country’s own cultural resources to produce unique titles.

Furthermore, until a few years ago, there was no “Indonesia Pavilion” at TGS; instead, individual developers and publishers set up separate booths in the Indie Corner.Starting last year, however, they began setting up a large, country-wide booth that could be called the “Indonesia Pavilion,” and this year they established a joint exhibition space for participating companies with the support of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta.

The question on everyone’s mind is, “What kind of booth will they set up next year?”

It seems Indonesian developers still have untapped potential, and it’s entirely possible that Indonesian developers will become major players occupying a significant share of the global gaming industry in the future. In this way, one of the real joys of TGS is that, alongside the latest games, you can also observe the progress of countries and regions making strides in the gaming industry.