From 4-5 April 2026, Indie Jam 2026 made its debut at Management and Science University, happening in conjunction with MSU Talent Sync Expo 2026. The new venue brought with it Indie Jam’s biggest games showcase yet, welcoming over 60 titles from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, and beyond.
As always, visitors to the event could complete game demos for a chance to win prizes from the Indie Jam stamp rally, which included exclusive merchandise and game keys from participating developers. They also had the rare opportunity to meet the developers and leave feedback on a variety of games, from early builds to the latest updates on established titles.
In addition to spotlighting Southeast Asian games, visitors could also try out a selection of games from around the world, courtesy of event partners Goldpact Goblins, Soft Source Publishing, and Game AiCon. These included titles like Spook-A-Boo (India), Lost Castle 2 (China), PengPong, MONOWAVE, and Senior Survival Club (South Korea).
Student developers also had their moment to shine through event booths showcasing student-made games from Management and Science University, Asia Pacific University, Digipen The One Academy, and University Malaysia of Computer Science & Engineering, allowing young developers to gain valuable hands-on experience with showcasing at an international games conference.
Speaking of student developers, Indie Jam 2026 partnered with Games for Change Hong Kong for the event’s Student Game Jam. Eight teams competed to develop games based on the team Reefs and Rainforests, with the winners being determined through a combination of judges’ scores and public votes throughout the weekend.
The first place winner, Bear and Weevil versus Evil by Asia Pacific University, not only won an RM30,000 scholarship from Yayasan MSU, but also the opportunity to showcase their game at the Games for Change Hong Kong 2026 Festival. All participants could also submit their games to the G4C Student Challenge 2026 and Tencent’s Games Without Borders Awards 2026.
Indie Jam 2026 also partnered with Women In Games Asia and Outcrowd Malaysia for the Women In Games Asia Mentor Match, a session designed to connect young game developers with industry professionals. Open to all ages and genders, participants had the opportunity to receive one-on-one mentorship sessions from a panel of experts.
Final year students and fresh graduates could also register for a Job & Internship Matching session, where they would be paired with selected studios to share their experiences. Later on, the Digital Blacksmith School Art Portfolio Review gave aspiring games artists a chance to receive constructive feedback from seasoned industry professionals.
On stage, visitors were kept busy with back-to-back panels featuring names from Passion Republic, Playstack, 7th Beat Games, Nerdook Productions, Albrite Studios, Metronomik, Southeast Asian Games Showcase, Neon Noroshi, Toge Productions and more. Guest speakers shared their experiences on working in the games industry, and even took a few questions from the floor.
Finally, the event came to a close with a prize-giving ceremony for not only the winners of the Student Game Jam, but also Indie Jam’s inaugural Pitch Competition. Prior to the event, developers had a chance to pitch their game for a chance to win Conference Delegate Tickets to gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show, or even the grand prize of an Indie Booth and 2 VIP Tickets.
After much deliberation, the grand prize winner was revealed to be Nekogi Studios from Indonesia, who were on site to showcase their game Celene. All ten runners-up joined them on stage to celebrate their incredible wins together.
Indie Jam 2026 might be over, but the After Jam has just begun! From April 6 to April 12, catch our featured creators as they try out games from the showcase. A detailed list of creators and their schedules can be found on our Indie Jam socials.
If you’d like to check out the games yourself, be sure to visit our official Steam or Itch.io pages! You can also click here to try out games from the Games for Change Student Game Jam.
