Filipino game development companies continue to show resiliency amid the economic crisis rocking the industry.

During the recent Games Conventions Asia 2009, a group of Filipino developers showed what they can do for foreign companies looking to do some outsource stuff.

Paul Gadi, a member of GDAP, joined a plenary discussion with other developers on developing for the Apple iPhone.

In a short interview back in Manila, Gabby Dizon, the President of the Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP) said their group met with several other Asian gaming organizations to discuss various topics involving their industry, primarily the effects of the economic crisis.

Dizon, who also heads his own game development company called Flipside, said GDAP met with members of the Asian Games Association to talk about each others’ experiences and how they could help each other go through this global economic crisis, among other things.

Member countries of this group include Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, New Zealand, Australia and China. A few representatives from the European Game Developers Association were also present.

Dizon said outsourcing is a major topic during the meeting. Outsourcing is a common approach for game developers as it builds international networks and technical capabilities.

But Dizon also said some companies are trying their hand in creating original intellectual property, something that he did when he worked for Filipino game development firm Anino Entertainment.

As the global economic crisis is unfolding, GDAP’s membership is also growing. There are now 13 members. Some of the new members are also going into various aspects of game development, including motion capture and game testing.

“It’s great that we have additional members and this will only continue to grow in the next year,” Dizon said.

As a final note, Dizon stressed that no game studio in the Philippines closed shop even during the crisis. “I’m sure that each company still has challenges ahead but I think overall we will still see growth for the game industry for this year and next.”

– Alexander Villafania