🧑‍🎓 A new survey of APAC youth that was just released revealed that, for this cohort, success is increasingly defined by internal fulfillment rather than external validation. With young people rethinking traditional markers of success, what does your brand need to do to keep up?

In this week’s edition:

• Innovation of the Week: Made in Indonesia, exported globally
• Fax, No Printer: Can you guess the Colonel’s latest collaborator?
• Regional Round-up: RIP Bondee (called it 😉), SVOD giants go head-to-head and more…

🎮  MAKING SPACE FOR LOCAL 

Since the start of the year we’ve been keeping our eye on A Space For The Unbound, a ‘slice-of-life’ adventure game developed by Surabaya-based Mojiken Studio. Set in a rural Indonesian town in the 1990s, complete with pop-up noodle shops and internet cafes, it’s a wholesome experience that combines YA romance with the supernatural (there are also lots of cats🐱). The game has garnered rave reviews and won a prestigious award – so let’s dive into what’s made it such a success.

💡 Our take

First, this is yet another example of how SEA’s unique culture is being exported around the world. A Space For The Unbound is allowing a new group of gamers to discover – and connect with – rural Indonesia, right from their console. That’s exactly what game director Dimas Novan D wanted. In an interview with IGN, he revealed that, inspired by the concept of Seichi-junrei, or an ‘anime pilgrimage’, the team set out to bring places from the country’s past to life (mixed with a bit of Makoto Shinkai’s anime films).

That leads to our second point: diversity in pop culture. High-profile franchises are getting more inclusive, but we’re still a long way from true representation. More often than not, these efforts still feel like a token gesture (yes Marvel, we’re looking at you!). Independents like Mojiken Studio are able to create authentic and genuine representations of Indonesian culture because the people creating the games have lived experience. It’s impossible to fake that kind of authenticity – and the popularity of A Space for The Unbound beyond the region is testament to that.

Given this, it’s hardly surprising that the region’s game and film studios are gaining traction. By zeroing in on specific niches and drawing from local culture, they’re amplifying the stories that people want to watch (or play). In fact, homegrown movies have never been more popular at the box office – last year, MD Pictures’ KKN Di Desa Penari became the highest grossest Indonesian film in history in the first 25 days of its theatrical release. Autobiography and Maryam Dari Pagi Ke Malam could replicate that success in the coming months.

If you want to craft narratives that resonate across the region and beyond, explore the niches that exist within Southeast Asia’s rich heritage. Dive into overlooked stories, make them relatable and believable and cultivate a community around authenticity… We know just the agency to help get you started!

For those of you born before 1997, ‘fax, no printer‘ is Gen Z speak for ‘undeniable facts I agree with’