The local game development scene has long had its eye on Operatives: Revolve, an ambitious roguelike deckbuilder with a cinematic presentation. What began as a project from Malaysian solo developer Enigma Equation, the game is now being developed by a small team at The Only Studio with a Q1 2026 launch on the horizon.
We had the opportunity to speak with Ee Chun Giap, the Technical Director at The Only Studio and formerly the solo developer behind Enigma Equation, who shared what to expect from their debut title. “The world of Operatives: Revolve is a strange horror set in an alternate-history 1980s,” he says.
“Humanity, struggling through the Cold War, was unable to resist |DOCTRINE|’s takeover of Earth. Any who oppose |DOCTRINE| are destroyed, often in strange and unsettling ways. |DOCTRINE| has deployed the Operatives, human avatars of power under its control to pacify any opposition. But the Operatives are slowly slipping from |DOCTRINE|’s grasp, a truth unknown to anyone, even themselves.”
Beyond its intriguing setting, early public demos previewed the game’s unique approach to deck-based combat that utilised two “hands” for defense and attack. Giap shared that the idea for both the visuals and mechanic came together from exploring the idea: What if cards weren’t flat pictures, but tactile 3D objects?
“Attack and defence will feel like it happens in front of you, and not just clicking icons like most card games,” he explains. “That mindset is from the combination of my animation, VFX and games background, where I wanted to explore the potential of using timing, weight, anticipation, cinematography along with many other elements in a medium that barely touches them.”
“Alongside with the visual, as someone that plays a lot of deckbuilders, it was natural for me to explore mechanics utilizing the concept to create a unique and satisfying challenge for players that are similar to myself. In this case, it revolves around handling destructible cards between two “hands”, and utilizing them in creative ways to achieve victory.”
When asked about the challenges of transitioning from working alone to running a small team, Giap was contemplative with his answer. “As a solo developer, every problem was internal, like tackling how to better utilize my time, tools, experience and health in a marathon of a development,” he shares.
“With a team and situational funding, it introduces new challenges and more things to strive for: like clarity, alignment, protecting focus and taking care of related parties. While the goal remains similar, the criteria changes and demands adaptation.”
Although Operatives: Revolve remains months away from launch, the game has already earned multiple nominations at the SEA Game Awards since its public reveal, bolstered by their recent feature in the Southeast Asian Games Showcase on the international stage.
“Thanks to the showcase, the game gained around 1,000 wishlists mostly from the Steam Event Page,” he says. “Now, things are quieter and we’re back to focusing on production.”
Operatives: Revolve is slated to launch in Q1 2026. Wishlist it now on Steam.
