A Taste of the Future at IGDX

The smell of ambition — and virtual meatballs — filled the halls of this year’s Indonesia Game Developer eXchange (IGDX). Amid the bustle of networking sessions, mentoring booths, and publisher meetings, my conversation with Gambir Studio about KuloNiku: Bowl Up!, a cooking-sim with Southeast Asian soul and a dash of competitive flair, stood out.

IGDX, an accelerator programme backed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Informatics and the Indonesian Game Association (AGI), has become a vital showcase for local developers eager to meet publishers and investors. And this year, few embodied that rising creative spirit more vividly than Gian M, Gambir Studio’s co-founder and lead programmer, whose infectious enthusiasm for both food and games was impossible to miss.

“There are many cooking games on Steam, but most of them focus on restaurant management,” Gian tells me. “I wanted something that really lets players cook — chop, fry, stir, and serve with their own rhythm.”

Stirring Southeast Asian Flavour into the Mix

At its core, KuloNiku: Bowl Up! captures what Gian calls “the joy of real cooking.” Players inherit their grandmother’s meatball shop — a clear nod to Indonesia’s beloved bakso stalls — and must rebuild its reputation one perfect bowl at a time.

“Customers might say they don’t want soy sauce, or they want extra garlic,” Gian explains. “It’s about paying attention and making each dish right, not just tapping buttons. That’s what makes it fun.”

But KuloNiku isn’t just a culinary simulator. It blends visual novel storytelling, restaurant customisation, and high-energy cooking battles called Meatball Brawls, where rival chefs face off before a panel of judges. “It’s like Suikoden’s cooking contests,” Gian grins. “I wanted that same sense of spectacle.”

Cooking with Character

Unlike other management sims, KuloNiku: Bowl Up! thrives on its narrative heart. The player’s interactions with regulars — from stubborn food critics to bashful first-timers — shape not only relationships but also gameplay rewards.

The art style — vibrant and expressive — evokes comparisons to both Cooking Mama and Mega Man Legends. “I take that as a compliment,” Gian laughs. “That’s exactly the feel I wanted: cute and approachable, but with satisfying gameplay depth.”

The aesthetic also pays homage to Asian culinary culture, from the sheen of a soup ladle to the steam curling off a bowl of noodles. Gian deliberately designed dishes that would resonate across the region. “It’s very Indonesian, but we wanted it to feel familiar to everyone in Asia,” he says. “So the broth looks like ramen, the meatballs like bakso. It’s about making food people recognise.”

From IGDX to the World Stage

“KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is our big project for this year and next,”* Gian shares, noting that his 16-person team began prototyping in late 2024 before moving into full production. The studio has multiple smaller titles in progress — a hallmark of Indonesian dev “hustle culture,” as Gian describes it.

“Most Indonesian studios are small. We survive by doing many projects, but we don’t do B2B work. We just make games,” he says proudly. “This year, KuloNiku is our main dish.”

That passion caught the attention of Swedish publisher Raw Fury, which is publishing the game. The collaboration pushed the release window to early 2026, giving the team time to polish the game for Steam and future console ports. “We originally planned to launch in October, but we want to make it perfect,” Gian says. “Especially now that we have players waiting.”

A Reflection of Indonesia’s Growth

Gambir Studio’s story mirrors the broader transformation of Indonesia’s game industry. A decade ago, as Gian recalls, the scene was largely invisible internationally. “In 2011, being a game developer here was survival mode,” he says. “There was no support. But now, thanks to programmes like IGDX and more publisher interest, it’s a real career path. Still tough — but possible.”

Today, Indonesia’s dev ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Alongside larger entities like Toge Productions, Digital Happiness, and Agate, Gambir represents a new generation of teams that are not just chasing trends but celebrating their own cultures through design.

“Southeast Asian food is the best in the world,” Gian grins. “Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian — everyone has something special. That’s why I love it when we make games about food. It’s who we are.”

A Bowl Full of Heart

At IGDX, surrounded by fellow developers showcasing their hard work, KuloNiku: Bowl Up! stood out precisely because of the warmth it’s built with and trying to deliver. It’s not a game about saving the world — it’s about serving it and all about rediscovering comfort, culture, and creativity through the universal language of food.

Gian summed it up best: “We just want to make games that feel like us,” he says. “If people play KuloNiku and feel hungry, happy, and proud — then we’ve done our job.”

A demo for KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is available now on Steam.