Vancouver, Canada—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) led the strong participation of 13 Philippine gaming companies at the External Development Summit (XDS) 2024, which secured USD 14.7 million in revenue sales. Held from September 03 to 06, the event was the foremost international conference for video game developers and service providers. The country sent the largest delegation to the event, which attracted significant interest from publishers, investors, and fellow exhibitors worldwide.
XDS 2024 provided an excellent platform to showcase Filipino creativity, state-of-the-art services, and professionalism on the global stage. It also connected the delegates with prospective clients, co-developers, and investors and discussed the potential of the country’s game industry.
The Philippine delegation comprised industry leaders, experts, and new players, including Animation Vertigo Asia, Amber Studios-Philippines, Buko Studios, CMD Studios, Exodia Game Development Studio, GameOps Inc. GameDev Summit, Leveret Group, Mee Games. Neun Farben, Pixel Mafia, Puppeteer Studios, and Synergy 88.
Recognizing the impressive turnout at XDS as evidence of the country’s growing global influence, DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque expressed strong optimism about the potential of the Philippine game development industry.
“The Philippines’ participation in the External Development Summit (XDS) 2024 is part of the DTI’s efforts of realizing a ‘Bagong Pilipinas,’ which emphasizes a forward-looking, inclusive, and sustainable approach to national development,” said Secretary Roque.
“The game development industry is a vital driver for our services exports, showcasing Filipino creativity and technical expertise on a global stage. We are proud and confident of the capabilities and potential of this industry to contribute more to our economy, especially in terms of job generation” the trade chief added.
To further support Filipino game developers, DTI-Industry Development and Investment Promotions Group Undersecretary Cerefino S. Rodolfo emphasized the Philippines’ evolving role in the gaming industry.
“With our private sector taking the lead, we have shifted our positioning strategy from being an internationally recognized service provider to becoming a leading international partner for co-development. This highlights the Philippines’ ability and desire to contribute more to the creative process of game development,” said the undersecretary.
The successful Philippine participation in XDS 2024 was made possible through the efforts of the DTI-Export Marketing Bureau and the International Trade Center, with support from the Malikhaing Pinoy Program and the ARISE Plus Philippines Project.
For her part, ITC ARISE Plus Philippines Project Manager Camille Roy reaffirmed the project’s commitment to collaborating with the DTI to expand the Philippine gaming sector and reach new international markets.
“Throughout the years, we have built the capacities of game developers to promote and sell their sector, their creations and services, and ultimately increase their exports to key markets. This has helped the sector reach new heights. There is a significant appetite from the global video game industry for Philippine services and creations, as we can see from the very positive results of this edition,” said Roy. ♦
Date of release: 2 December 2024