Xsolla sets sights on global stage for Philippine indie game studios

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 AUGUST 2026 —

Xsolla Aims to Elevate Philippine Indie Game Studios to Global Stage

Eric M. Lee, Xsolla’s Head of Partnerships for Asia Pacific, highlighted the Philippines’ strong creative and technical talent in game development but noted the primary challenge lies in transitioning these skills into original intellectual property (IP) that can be directly published by local studios.

“The biggest hurdle has always been turning that creativity, development and the result into their own IP, meaning their own games published directly out of Philippine studios,” Lee said in an interview with BusinessWorld.

He acknowledged gradual improvements in the ecosystem, driven by collaborations with global firms, industry groups, and government agencies. Developers are increasingly partnering with international companies to refine monetization strategies, a critical step for sustainable growth.

“Game developers are now finally working together with a global company like us to help monetize their games. That’s a critical step after publishing your game to monetize better so they can earn better, build their business better, get more users and publish more games in the future,” Lee added.

Xsolla is leveraging its global launcher programs to provide Filipino developers with greater exposure. The company is assisting indie and student-developed games through one initiative, while another, in partnership with the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), targets commercial and established studios.

“They’re also going to be launched in the same way. So, it’s the start of a helping cycle where we’re not focused on helping just a single game studio, but more helping the ecosystem find a better way to be exposed outside of the Philippines through our international expertise,” Lee explained.

The Philippines’ indie game sector has shown exceptional growth potential, Lee noted, surpassing other Southeast Asian markets and rivaling established hubs like South Korea and Japan. However, scaling these indie studios into AAA-level enterprises capable of producing globally competitive titles remains a key challenge.

“The hurdle, if I may add, is how can we turn those or expand those indie games into AAA studios that can boast and become the forerunner of the Philippines,” he said. Lee emphasized that domestic market reliance is insufficient, stressing the need for global reach—a concept still underdeveloped in the Philippine market.

“That’s where Xsolla would love to step in and help them to become a global market-reaching forerunner instead of a domestic indie game that they are at the moment,” he added.

The economic potential of game exports is significant, Lee noted, despite the Philippine gaming sector’s current size relative to traditional exports like furniture and handicrafts. Drawing parallels with South Korea, he highlighted the outsized revenue contribution of gaming to the economy.

“I can say for Korea, I’m located in Korea, by the way, aside from all the K-drama, K-pop music and K-food or whatever you consider, all of that combined does not overcome the K-game revenue, global revenue,” he said.

Access to financial support, industry networks, and global exposure is for emerging studios transitioning from development to commercialization. Xsolla’s initiatives aim to address these needs, including a July 24 partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and GDAP. Under a three-way memorandum of understanding, Xsolla provides its global launcher, GDAP connects local developers, and the DTI offers budgetary support.

The collaboration seeks to create additional pathways for Filipino developers to launch games internationally while strengthening the local ecosystem.

Details not yet available on the specific financial allocations under the DTI’s budget support or the number of studios expected to benefit from the programs.