Indonesia-based GameChanger Studio have announced a release date for their upcoming emotional narrative simulator 1998: The Toll Keeper Story. The game releases worldwide on October 28, 2025 via Steam, drawing players into a gripping story of survival, resilience, and motherhood during a time of national crisis, inspired by the 1998 Asian financial collapse.
GameChanger Studio is one of Indonesia’s most exciting game developers, best known for the My Lovely trilogy (My Lovely Daughter, My Lovely Wife, and My Lovely Empress). The team is led by Riris Marpaung, one of the first female CEOs in Indonesia’s game industry, and has earned worldwide recognition for pushing the boundaries of narrative-driven design. Their latest epic is inspired by Marpaung’s experiences as a college student in Indonesia during the country’s financial turbulence.
Unlike typical survival or simulation games, 1998: The Toll Keeper Story doesn’t place players in the shoes of a soldier, rebel, or leader – you’re an ordinary person whose courage lies not in combat, but in endurance. You play as Dewi, a pregnant toll booth worker struggling to protect her family while navigating fear, unrest, and scarcity in the fictional nation of Janapa.
The game combines choice-driven storytelling with tense “Papers-Please”-style mechanics, challenging players to balance morality, survival, and duty. Each day at the toll booth presents new dilemmas, and each choice ripples into Dewi’s home life, family safety, and the lives of strangers passing through. Will you enforce strict state rules, or show compassion for desperate citizens? And can you stick to your guns as the crisis around you intensifies?
“This game is more than just about physical survival; it also tests emotional resilience,” shared Marpaung. “It’s a portrayal of how ordinary people must survive amid the uncertainty of security, food shortages, extreme fear, and not knowing what to do to escape such a pressing situation.”
Transitioning from fantastical stories to a more grounded, real-world inspiration, GameChanger aims to delve into a creative process they have never explored before. With 1998: The Toll Keeper Story, the studio aims to deliver a message-driven experience, going beyond simply offering an exciting and enjoyable adventure. A portion of the game’s proceeds will support Indonesian Women in Game (IWIG).
Wishlist 1998: The Toll Keeper Story on Steam. Visit https://gamechangerstudio.net/ for more information.
