Nintendo Entry Marks New Era for Indonesia’s Gaming Industry

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s gaming industry is gaining fresh momentum following Nintendo’s official entry into the domestic market, a milestone that opens wider opportunities for local developers to expand into the global ecosystem.

Deputy Minister of Creative Economy, Irene Umar, said Nintendo’s presence reflects Indonesia’s increasingly strategic position in the regional gaming landscape. She added that the Japanese company’s entry also strengthens efforts to improve copyright protection in the creative sector.

“Nintendo’s official entry is expected to be a major turning point in advancing the national creative industry,” Irene said at the Nintendo Business Conference in Indonesia held at The St. Regis, Jakarta, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, as quoted on the Ministry’s official website.

Nintendo’s presence follows a series of coordination efforts between the Ministry, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company (TPC) since their initial meeting in March 2025.

The collaboration is expected to expand beyond product distribution to talent development, knowledge transfer, localization, creative collaboration, and intellectual property development.

“The creative economy is a new engine of growth that opens extraordinary digital opportunities for game developers in Indonesia. By leveraging Nintendo’s vast platform ecosystem, Indonesian developers are expected to gain greater opportunities to be more productive and drive the export of Indonesian games to global markets,” Irene said.

She also encouraged Nintendo to officially incorporate development kits into its ecosystem, noting that such tools would enable local developers to create games with the potential to enter global markets.

Nintendo announced the launch of its business in Indonesia through an exclusive distribution partnership with the Salim Group, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates with major operations in food manufacturing, retail, and logistics.

The commercial launch of the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 in Indonesia is tentatively scheduled for December.

The Nintendo Business Conference in Indonesia also showcased local games by Toge Productions, including Coffee Talk and A Space for the Unbound, as part of Nintendo’s support for Indonesian developers.

Nintendo Executive Officer Juro Takeuchi said the nature of Nintendo’s games aligns with Indonesian cultural values centered on family and friendship. “Therefore, we expect users to try out and enjoy various types of games in diverse ways with their loved ones,” he said. ***