4 up-and-coming games studios in Myanmar that you might not have heard of

It hasn’t been long since Myanmar opened up to the world, but its game development scene is already starting to take form. There are few studios in Myanmar now; indeed there aren’t even many tech startups compared other Asian countries. But the few that have put down roots in their home country are inspiring, to say the least.

Myanmar only recently received daily conveniences we take for granted, such as high-speed internet and mobile 3G connections. In 2012, only one percent of its population had internet access. And while cell phone penetration rates reached 10 percent that same year, it is still one of the lowest in the world.

The country’s per capita GDP based on the 2013/14 financial year and a population census taken over March and April 2014 is just US$1,105, while 2009/10 assessment on living conditions revealed that 26 percent of the population lived below the poverty line. Game development simply hasn’t been at the forefront of its people’s minds.

While games are played in Myanmar by many youth – Dota and World of Warcraft, as well as mobile games like Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans, are hot favorites – development is another bucket of fish altogether.

University of Computer Studies, Yangon.

For starters, there’s no education focusing on game development, so by extension, there’s poor awareness of it. Some of Myanmar’s game studio founders are returnees—men and women who studied and worked overseas, and returned home when the various sanctions on the country lifted in 2011. Some come from families lucky enough to have access to different game consoles. But each of them have shared that it’s difficult to recruit talent, and when talent is recruited, it still has to be heavily trained.

Yet the four studios we’re going to go into detail about below are full of grit and passion. Myanmar’s game development scene may still be in its infancy, but there’s no doubt that this first wave of founders are going to kickstart it.

Total Gameplay Studio

Total Gameplay Studio is Myanmar’s most famous game studio. It has been featured on national TV and invited to exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show. Founded by Myint Kyaw Thu and his brother Zaw Ye Myint, Total Gameplay Studio has released three games, and is currently working on a Clash of Clans-style strategy game that incorporates elements of Burmese culture. Total Gameplay Studio has 16 members of staff in total.

Kodots Game Studio

Kodots Game Studio began life as a small hobbyist group of gamers taking their passions further by exploring development. None of its three team members are technical people, and its first game, DarkEnd, was created with RPG Maker. Development on DarkEnd was done during its members’ free nights and spare time, as they all are full-time students or have day jobs. Nonetheless, Kodots Game Studio may see its founder go full-time into game development if DarkEnd does well.

See: Myanmar’s first RPG hits Steam today