Game developers converge on LEVEL UP 2016 in Malaysia

Over 500 game developers, investors, game publishers and technology providers converged on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to participate in one of the world’s biggest gaming conferences in the region. Dubbed LEVEL UP KL, the annual convention is in its second successful year and is part of the ongoing effort by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to develop Malaysia into a regional hub for game development by 2025.

(R-L) Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC, Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, Chief Operating Officer of MDEC, and Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Director of Creative Content and Technologies (CCT) Division of MDEC at the launch of LEVEL UP KL 2016

The five-day event took place from 5th to 9th November and saw both international players and local participants alike with close to four score key industry players taking the lectern to share their experiences and insight in the games industry. Among the triple-A studded list of industry luminaries were Wan Hazmer, the lead game designer for Square Enix’s magnum opus Final Fantasy XV, Lemon Sky Games and Animation CEO Wong Cheng-Fei, Passion Republic president Ng Aik Sern, Hector Fernandez of Sony Interactive Entertainment and more. Each of them took the stage and shared their hard-won experiences with the enthusiastic crowd even as a host of budding game studies showcased their work onstage to entice potential investors.

(Centre) Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC with key speakers at LEVEL UP KL 2016

LEVEL UP KL 2016 began on a balmy Saturday over at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur where 17 teams of game developers from across Southeast Asia worked together to create games in a 36-hour game jam with the theme ‘kidcentric’ for users under the age of 12 and below.

SEA Game Jam winners along with MDEC, IGDA Malaysia and Media Prima Labs representatives on stage

The winners got the chance to take home some amazing swag including the Oculus Gear VR as well as the opportunity to get their games commercialised via the Alpha Startups: Game Pre-Accelerator Programme by Media Prima Labs and 1337 Ventures. After the gruelling marathon, three teams took to the fore.

Team BOLT won the first prize for the SEA Game Jam 2016 at LEVEL UP KL

One Team Bolt, consisting of Malaysians Scott Thoo, Yean Junn Tseng, Robert Wong Ji Kin and Steven Ng took first place and won RM8,000 and an Oculus Gear for each team member for their game dubbed ‘Who’s the Best’. Next up was Team Escalator who submitted their game ‘Letters’ and won RM5,000 and an Oculus Gear for each member. In third place was Team Rotan who submitted their game ‘Parental’ Guidance and took home RM3,000 per member along with an Oculus Gear VR.

On Monday, 7th November, 37 participants took part in the Unity Certified Developer Exam to earn the prestigious credentials which are highly recognised and offers significantly improved chances to earn a job in the challenging games industry.

On Tuesday evening, 8th November, the winners for the prestigious International Mobile Gaming Awards Southeast Asia were announced in an evening ceremony bedecked with camaraderie and revelry. Over 300 games were submitted from across Southeast Asia with 78 games moving to the finals before being submitted to an all-star judging panel.

Sky Garden: Farm in Paradise by VNG GAME Studios, Vietnam winning the People’s Choice Award

After the dust settled, ‘Sky Garden: Farm in Paradise’ from VNG GAME STUDIOS, Vietnam earned the People’s Choice award with over a 1,000 votes. Legends of Callasia from Boomzap Entertainment, Philippines won both Best Multiplayer Game and Excellence in Gameplay awards. Other titles won a host of other awards including Excellence in Storytelling, Best Upcoming Game and more. To find the full list of winners, check out the site here.

Alexander Fernandez, Chief Executive Officer of Streamline Studios delivering his keynote at LEVEL UP KL 2016

The event drew to a close on Wednesday, 9th November, with a closing keynote and a promise that this thrilling event would continue next year. For more about LEVEL UP, swing by levelup.asia. For more about MDEC swing by here.