Telkom Digital Business Director Faizal R. Djoemadi (fourth from right) delivered a motivational message at the recent launch of the Indigo Game Startup Incubation program, witnessed by Telkom Digital & Next Business Executive Vice President Joddy Hernady (third from right) and CEO of PT Agate International Arief Widhiyasa (far left)

Jakarta, February 5, 2020 - In order to develop the digital ecosystem in Indonesia, especially the gaming ecosystem, PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (Telkom) once again organized the Indigo Game Startup Incubation program. Registration batch 2 has been opened since January 31, 2020, with the Global Game Jam 2020 held simultaneously in various countries including Indonesia. The Indigo Game Startup Incubation program will have roadshows to five major cities in Indonesia, Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Malang, and Surabaya starting the second week of February 2020.
 
Telkom Digital Business Director, Faizal Rochmad Djoemadi said, Indigo Game Startup Incubation is the first incubation program for startup games in Indonesia. This program is the result of a collaboration between Telkom Indonesia and PT Agate International which is under the auspices of Indigo Creative Nation. This program has been running from September 2019 and has successfully raised 10 startup games as of December 2019.
 
"The Indigo Game Startup Incubation Program is one of the first steps of Telkom Indonesia in developing Indonesia’s gaming industry. Games are the future of digital business. Let's grow it and be serious at it," Faizal said.
 
Based on a report by Newzoo, a data analytics provider for the game and esports industry, the size of the gaming market in Indonesia has grown to around US$879.7 million in 2017. It was also reported in the 2017 Global Mobile Game Confederation (GMGC) SEA Mobile Report that there was a significant increase in market size from 2013 to 2017, up to 37.3% per year. However, despite the robust market growth, of all games sold in Indonesia, only 8% of revenue goes to companies in Indonesia and from the games that were sold, only about 0.4% are domestic products,  according to data from the Indonesian Game Association (AGI).
 
Faizal said that in Indigo Game Startup Incubation batch 1, a number of participating game developer startups stated that they had encountered difficulty in obtaining game development funding. Most startups can only work using makeshift facilities in their homes, or even in cafes to get the internet fast enough. In addition, their lack of knowledge about the gaming industry as well as their lack of ability to reach the intended target market is an obstacle that causes the games produced cannot survive long in the industry.
To overcome the problems that startup game developers in Indonesia went through, it requires a platform that can accommodate all methods to solve the problem. The said platform is the Indigo Game Startup Incubation program which aims to help game studios/startup game developers in Indonesia to develop the best games and to become developers that can survive and dominate the game industry market in their own country. In line with Arief Widhiyasa as CEO of PT Agate International’s expectations, "It is time for Indonesia to produce our own games for the gaming industry in Indonesia, instead of just being consumers that use imported products.”

This program provides various benefits for selected startup game developers, such as obtaining development funds, tutorials from experienced mentors and a co-working space that enables game developers to remain productive. In addition, the selected candidates also have the opportunity to test the game to their intended target market and validate the retention and monetization of the game. At the end of the program, selected candidates will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their game skills through presentations to partners in the gaming industry so that they can get their games published.
 
This program was held again in February 2020, with a timeline allowing the selected candidates to experience the first one-month for boot camp, and the next three months for incubation. During the first month, candidates who have registered can develop a new game idea, or improve a game that they already developed. Candidates are allowed to take the DILo Game Academy online course accessible through http://academy.dilo.id/.
 
For further information on registration and the Indigo Game Startup Incubation program, please visit the following page:
 
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Email: game@indigo.id