The Philippine GameDev Expo (PGDX) 2025 marked a milestone for the local game development industry, spotlighting homegrown talent and global collaboration from July 25 to 27 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Organized by the Game Developers Association of the Philippines and CBZN Perspective, PGDX stood as the country’s first and largest trade show dedicated to game development.
Now in its third year, the event scaled up its support for Filipino creatives by providing a platform for original intellectual properties, digital exports, and tech-driven partnerships.
According to Statista, the Philippines’ video game segment had grown steadily for nine consecutive years and was projected to reach US$2.6 billion in revenue by 2027.
This rapid growth had been fueled by a thriving ecosystem of indie developers, established studios, outsourcing partners, and technology innovators.
A big development for the trade show was GDAP teaming up with the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions’ (CITEM) CREATEPhilippines to promote its 2025 edition.
As the country’s first government-led content and community platform for local creative industries, CREATEPhilippines’ participation as the official event partner contributed not just to the PGDX’s promotion but also to the facilitation of buyer servicing and campaigns.
Shifting the narrative: From PH as an outsourcing partner to IP generator
Since its launch in 2023, PGDX has demonstrated amazing growth. Last year’s edition welcomed more than 50 exhibitors and over 25,000 attendees, and it facilitated numerous B2B meetings. PGDX 2024 also made it on the international radar, welcoming industry visitors and participants from countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the US.
For its 2025 edition, the expo will focus on addressing the gaps in the industry in terms of education, training, and awareness by offering workshops, mentorship sessions, and learning forums. This is part of GDAP’s mission to shift the narrative from Filipino game development talent as mere outsourced service providers to creators of original IPs and indie games. By staging multiple event components, including indie games exhibitions, career talks, e-sports segments, and demo days, PGDX 2025 aims to offer visitors a glimpse into the bright and dynamic future of Philippine gaming.
As the official event partner of the trade show, CREATEPhilippines co-led with GDAP the facilitation of B2B meetings through a dedicated Meeting Area at the expo where game developers connected with potential partners.
GDAP and CBZN also created a Biz Matching Platform where visitors can browse through the list of PGDX exhibitors, exchange contact details with them, and book meetings in advance. Both organizations envision the platform as a means to empower local developers to scale their work, reach new markets, and transform their creative passion into a sustainable enterprise.
PGDX is ready to welcome not just industry insiders but also gamers of all levels with its roster of indie games and IPs to explore. This includes the horror hit Water Delivery, Craggenrock, Oh, Crops!, Icarus, Stranded on a Raft, and more. Aside from trying them out, visitors can also get to chat with their creators and learn more about their gamedev process.
For GDAP President James Lo, the partnership with CREATEPhilippines was a timely development.
“The intervention of Philippine government agencies is key to opening doors of opportunities for game developers in the country.” He further believed that its benefits will not only impact PGDX but also uplift small studios to the global gaming industry landscape.
CITEM Executive Director Leah Pulido-Ocampo agrees, stating, “Boosting the upward momentum of the local gaming scene is a monumental stride for CITEM and CREATEPhilippines in our efforts to support the collective Philippine creative industry.”
