You’re a gamer. He’s a gamer. She’s a gamer. Everyone’s a gamer. Think about it. There had to be at least one time in your life where you played a video game – either a commercial or an educational one. Whichever the case, if you’re a big fan of the scene, you’ll be happy to know that ItsyBytes is Brunei’s first independent games development studio, producing apps mainly for the mobile market with a focus on education and entertainment. Founded in 2013 by Ikmalina Yunos, the company already has a number of 2D and 3D titles published, and is always looking forward to the latest technology trends, including the development of virtual and augmented reality games.
Their first commercial product was the Black Gold series, a multi-platform game that taps into Brunei’s main economic industry – yep, oil and gas. The game is a story about the discovery of oil in the country, back in 1926. Players take on the role of an original prospector who navigates his way while avoiding obstacles and challenges in the form of puzzles, which they must successfully solve to keep the oil flowing. It won first place at the Ignite Business Plan Awards 2012/2013 college and university category in January 2013, as well as second place at the 2013 Brunei ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Awards.
Other products in ItsyBytes’ catalogue include virtual reality game Rehab Maze, where you get into the role of a reformed substance abuser trying to get their life back on track and players must try and escape the 3D maze. They also produced iCity, where players complete puzzles to protect various locations around a city – it provides an entertaining way to teach people about cyber security, backing up data and online security threats.
Their mission is to create games that are fun to play but also deliver an educational message with content that increases social awareness. All to steadily move forward into the future of reality gaming.
