The Southeast Asian Gaming Game Awards 2026 wrapped up just a few hours ago, held on 15 October in Kuala Lumpur as part of Level Up KL. Metronomik, the studio best known for No Straight Roads, walked away with 3 awards for Ondeh Ondeh Kaya's Tasty Tale, including the hotly contested "Grand Jury Award", the ceremony's highest honour. It's a fine bit of recognition for Malaysian game development, and further proof of South-East Asia's growing clout. Metronomik also took home "Best Score & Music" and "Best Technology". Elsewhere, OPNeon Games was rewarded for the game design of TCG Card Shop Simulator, while Asia Pacific University landed best student game with Fish Can Man. We were there in person, so here's our round-up.
South-East Asia takes centre stage
Run by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) as part of Level Up KL, the SEA Game Awards honour the region's most striking independent games each year, with one category open to international productions. For this 9th edition (no less), the organisers received 174 entries, including 71 from Malaysia, 34 from Indonesia and 12 from Singapore. There were also games from Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Japan. Among all those territories, alongside Malaysia, Indonesia also did rather well for itself. Here's the full list of winners to give you a better idea:
- Grand Jury Award: Ondeh Ondeh Kaya's Tasty Tale
Studio: Metronomik (Malaysia)
- Best Technology: Ondeh Ondeh Kaya's Tasty Tale
Studio: Metronomik (Malaysia)
- Best Score & Music: Ondeh Ondeh Kaya's Tasty Tale
Studio: Metronomik (Malaysia)
- Best Game Design: TCG Card Shop Simulator
Studio: OPNeon Games (Malaysia)
- Best Storytelling: Build A Livable Future Together
Studio: Team Project Lunch (Singapore)
- Best Visual Art: Kidbash Super Legend
Studio: Authentic Remixes (Indonesia)
- Best Audio: Mission Mancala
Studio: HOOP Studios, affiliated with Telkom University (Indonesia)
- Best Student Game: Fish Can Man
Studio: Asia Pacific University (Malaysia)
- Best International Game: Homura Hime
Publisher: PLAYISM (Japan)
- Audience Choice Award: Little Tree Kingdom
Studio: Bumi Studios (Indonesia)
- Rising Star Award: Voodoo Craft
Studio: InnerSight Games (Indonesia)
For MDEC chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah, these awards should help the region's studios raise their profile and find new opportunities beyond their home markets. The stakes go well beyond handing out trophies, then, with the aim of bringing developers closer to publishers, commercial partners and an international audience. There's a genuine desire to push things further.
A Malaysian industry on the up
The ceremony also offered a look at several games in development across South-East Asia, via trailers, some of them exclusive to the event — el famoso "World Premiere". Among the Malaysian productions showcased were Project XII from Albrite Studios, TCG Card Shop Simulator from OPNeon Games, Bloodwell from Ten Ten Studio, Overhours from CtrlD Studio and Wira from RICRYM, alongside Ondeh Ondeh, which had already enjoyed some press coverage a few days earlier, since publisher Bandai Namco had organised previews at its Japanese offices during Tokyo Game Show 2026. Other games from the region were on show too, such as Fallen Tear The Ascension from Philippine studio Winter Crew Studios, Sepak U Sports Fighting Game from Malaysia-based Good Knight Collective, HellHeart Breaker from Singapore's BattleBrew Productions and Nightmare Circus, developed in Thailand by Fairplay Studios. Indonesia was represented as well with Lost & Found Co. from Bit Egg Inc and Dungeon Hot Pot from Renala Games, while Singapore also brought 13Z The Zodiac Trials from Mixed Realms.
The figures released by MDEC, meanwhile, show just how far games have come in Malaysia. In 2014, for instance, the country had only 30 development studios; in 2025 there are 112, 9 of them owned by multinational groups. Proof that Level Up KL has played its part in that momentum, as the event brings together developers, publishers, investors and other industry players, some of whom had travelled all the way from the United States. Metronomik's win therefore lands at an important moment for the local scene: with 3 awards for a single game, the Malaysian studio stands out as one of the big names of this edition and shows that South-East Asia is no longer confined to outsourcing and mobile games. The region now wants to bring its own creations to the fore and win them international recognition. And screenactu is here to help shine a light on all of it. A video report will be along in the coming weeks, in fact.
