KUCHING, 4 SEPTEMBER 2025 – The Sarawak Game Developer’s Community (SwkGDC) concluded its fourth annual SwkGDC Game Jam, held from 30th August 2025 to 1st September 2025 at TEGAS Digital Village in Kuching.
This year’s game jam was supported by TEGAS Digital Village, Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and PlayStation Studios Malaysia. As part of the kick-off, Amir Azlan, Head of Games/ Interactive Media of MDEC shared about the organisation’s efforts in growing and empowering Malaysian game developers, indie creators, and gaming communities across the country.
“Change” was revealed as the theme, and participants sought help and guidance from a roster of industry mentors from across Malaysia to develop their digital game prototypes in 48 hours.
On the final day, a series of presentations and sharing sessions were held, with attendance of a public audience. Twelve teams presented their prototypes to a public crowd and a panel of judges, who ranked each game and picked three winning teams. The panel of six judges comprised representatives from PlayStation Studios Malaysia, Twilight Foundry Games, Metronomik, Sarawakian developers— Nerdook Productions and 7th Beat Games, and upcoming Sarawakian tech hub KenyalangDev.
The three winning games are as follows: “CubeCat” by Team Zerose, “Fracture” by Team Custom*, and “Unseen” by Team MADEVS.
“For four consecutive years, we’ve proudly supported the SWKGDC Game Jam, and it has been remarkable to witness its growth and impact. Each year, the program receives an encouraging number of applications from both university students and passionate game enthusiasts. What excites us most is seeing the creativity, innovation, and dedication that participants bring to the table,” said Haji Udin Bin Bujang, Chief Executive Officer of TEGAS.
“It is truly inspiring to witness so any young talents with the potential to become future game developers, shaping the local gaming industry. This is exactly the kind of spirit and passion we aim to nurture through our continuous support,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Acting Head of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department at SDEC, Khairool Adzelan Aman, enlightened the crowd on SDEC’s Digital Creative mission – accelerating original Sarawak IPs in animation and games onto the global stage, while also championing talent development and market access opportunities.
“At SDEC, we believe Sarawak’s creative talents have the potential to shine globally. Platforms like the SwkGDC Game Jam are not just competitions – they are stepping stones for our young creators to develop, collaborate, and bring Sarawakian games to the world,” said Khairool, who concluded his speech calling on all creatives to help build and shape the game development ecosystem together.
The winning teams will have the opportunity to showcase at Level Up KL 2025, hosted by MDEC, happening from 6th to 8th October 2025 at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre (CCEC) in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, SDEC will be sponsoring the teams’ travel and accommodation costs, enabling them to explore new opportunities and gain invaluable experiences with ease.
This year’s game jam attracted almost 80 registrations, including students, enthusiasts, and working professionals coming from across East and West Malaysia. Before the 3-day programme came to an end, participants and attendees were treated to an inspiring sharing session by Bazil Akmal Bidin, the Senior Manager of Studio Operations and Development at PlayStation Studios Malaysia. His talk, titled “Career Guide For The Games Industry” gave audiences insight on lesser known pathways into the industry; explaining how jobs in the industry vary greatly, and that one size rarely fits all.
All prototypes submitted to the SwkGDC Game Jam can be played for free at https://itch.io/jam/swkgdc-game-jam-2025.