Apple showcases Vietnamese game developers on App Store

Two Vietnamese developers behind the pixel-art game DreamChaser have been featured on Apple’s App Store along with other Southeast Asian talents.

In a recent spotlight category called “Dare to Dream”, Apple hailed the duo Pham Duy Phuc and Tran Tuan Hiep for building their endless runner game which is rated 4.8 out of 5 by over 500 users.

“My game development journey is quite rough,” said former IT major Phuc, who left university to pursue game development professionally, as cited by Apple. “I did not know how to draw, so I needed to find an artist. That was how I met Hiep.”

Hiep took inspiration from Vietnam’s history and tradition to create the game’s colourful pixel-art which depicted the Nguyen dynasty, where the game’s protagonist runs from Hue Imperial Palace to a tranquil bamboo forest while dodging bouncing animals.

The game became popular when Phuc discussed the experience of making it on YouTube videos. He now has more than 30,000 subscribers.

“When I uploaded the video about DreamChaser to YouTube, a large number of users started playing it. That was also when I received a massive amount of bug reports from users,” he said. “Seeing players enjoy our game and create their own content based on our work is incredibly fulfilling.”

Phuc now desires to open his own game studio, with around 10 staff. “I think there is still more room to grow, and that keeps me grinding.”

Other developers featured in the category included Singapore’s Joan Low who created ThoughtFull Chat, a software which helps connect people who need mental health support.

Indonesia siblings Andika Pradana and Anggia Lestari were praised for their chemist game Potion Permit.

Tyme Suteesopon and Sirin (Nanny) Thamakaison from Thailand were mentioned for their creation of an app called WithU, which compiles motivating quotes and appealing artworks created by Thai artists.