Malaysia is becoming a hotspot for innovation amidst the South-East Asian tech revolution, leading to the rise of thriving game developers like Kaigan Games.
Kaigan exemplifies resilience and vision as it navigates the complexities of the industry and faces challenges head-on, aiming to secure a top-tier global game developer position.
Founded in 2016 by brothers Shahrizar and Shahazmi Roslan and Jeremy Ooi, Kaigan is now a leading indie game developer in South-East Asia, with international awards and millions of downloads for its games, including Sara Is Missing and the Simulacra series.
Ironically, none of Kaigan’s founders had a formal education in gaming. CEO Shahrizar, 40, pursued Industrial Physics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in Skudai, Johor, and briefly worked at a corporate training company before starting his own venture. He adds that his sibling Azmi, who is Kaigan’s lead developer, graduated with an Accounting degree. The company, formed in collaboration with Ooi seven years ago, has been a cohesive unit ever since.
Over the years, Kaigan has been working on new games like Nullspace and a new horror title after the launch of Simulacra 3
Senior concept artist Rex engaged in a ‘character study’ for Kaigan’s Nullspace.
Shahrizar shares that Nullspace is a real-time space strategy game set in a hard science fiction universe, based on real science and not fantasy science. Kaigan enlisted the help of a theoretical physicist to craft the lore and scientific foundation of the Nullspace Universe.
The second project is a new horror game set in an abandoned theatre building, where the player takes on the role of a recently hired assistant to a mysterious play director.
Game designer Jeremy Ooi was quite active in local theatre after abandoning his Accounting degree, occasionally directing and producing his own plays.
Kaigan’s Found Phone games revolved around the “Found Phone” genre, providing an immersive experience for players and garnering multiple international awards for its innovation and storytelling.
Instead of making new Found Phone games, Kaigan plans to research new ways to bring the franchise forward and develop games in different genres and styles to enhance their skills as a company.
Kaigan received awards at the SEA Game Awards by Level Up KL and the Game Developers Conference 2023, and its online community on Discord has over 15,000 members.
CEO Shahrizar mentions that one of the biggest impediments for game startups in Malaysia is access to funds, specialised knowledge, and specialised talent. The company also faces difficulties obtaining development kits or securing the capability to list their games on specific platforms.
Through its trials and triumphs, Kaigan claims that the secret to its success lies in the strength of its employees, ensuring a good work-life balance, and encouraging everyone’s voice to be heard.
As Kaigan continues to forge ahead, the company exemplifies adaptability in an ever-evolving industry and is defining the future of gaming in Malaysia and beyond.
Shahrizar underlines this by saying: “At Kaigan, we have always believed that every game we do must push the skill ceiling of our developers. We never sit back and say, ‘Let’s do that exact same thing again’.”
“Our two new games are so new and different that our team is learning new skills and exploring new ways of accomplishing our vision for these games.”
“Things that we once said we couldn’t do because we had no experience have now become core features of our new games. This has given us a huge sense of accomplishment as we continue to craft our games.”
