The Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) recently unveiled ‘Alon,’ a distribution platform built for games made by Filipino studios and indie game developers in the Philippines. It is a partnership between GDAP, payments and game services company Xsolla, and the Department of Trade and Industry’s Export Management Bureau (DTI-EMB).
Alon was officially unveiled at Gamescom Asia in Bangkok, at the Philippine Pavilion, with Xsolla sharing the cost of the launch.
Not a Steam competitor, by design
According to GDAP President Ria Lu, Alon may look a lot like Steam or Itch.io, but GDAP says it isn’t trying to compete with them. The platform is non-exclusive, and games on Alon can also be sold on Steam and elsewhere. The problem GDAP is solving is fragmentation.
According to the association, the Philippine games industry is scattered enough that putting together a showcase takes a fresh call for participants every time. Government-linked events, including those run with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Philippine embassies, often give short notice, and GDAP says it has sometimes ended up presenting only three games. A single catalog lets GDAP and its partners show publishers, investors, and collaborators what the country is making without starting from scratch each time.
For developers, Alon takes a 15% platform fee, which GDAP says is lower than most other platforms charge.
Promoting local indie game talent
GDAP says there is no dedicated government funding behind Alon. Promotion will come from existing channels. DTI-EMB already sets up Philippine Pavilions at major international game events, and Alon will be featured in them. GDAP is also working on a standard process for DFA to promote Alon and Philippine games at its events throughout the year, including non-game events.
A pilot ran last year at Frankfurt’s Ube Festival, where Puzzled Purple, Ube Hops, and Ube Rush were shown, along with ube-themed versions of Snake.io and Sort of Sweet. GDAP is designing a similar arrangement with the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC), aimed at investors, publishers, and collaborators.
Xsolla maintains Alon’s technology. As on Steam, the platform generates keys for each game, and GDAP says the system will keep improving after launch. Because payments are Xsolla’s core business, Alon can accept most payment types, from credit cards to digital wallets.
Developers who are interested to join the ecosystem have to contact GDAP to be considered. The association says it checks games for quality since they effectively represent the country. Alon currently carries only completed premium PC and Mac games. Mature-rated titles are not accepted, while general patronage and parental guidance ratings are fine. GDAP says the process will get easier over time.