Our 12th developer interview is here! Today, we have Wing Yee from Weyrdworks, the developers of the charming idle companion game, Weyrdlets! Their game had first caught my eye during Steam’s Southeast Asian Games Showcase. In this interview, Wing Yee tells us more about the busy backend that goes into creating and sustaining their indie game.
1. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this interview! Could we get a quick introduction to you and Weyrdworks?
Hello! I’m Wing Yee, the Marketing and Communications Strategist at Weyrdworks. I handle anything outward-facing for Weyrdlets from social media content and trailers to events, community management, collaborations and press kits. Weyrdworks is an indie game development studio based in Malaysia, and we’re all about creating weyrd, exciting games that spark joy and creativity.
2. Is the Weyrdworks team working together remotely or in a studio? What does a typical day or week working on Weyrdlets look like?
A bit of both, actually! Most of the team is based in Selangor, with one programmer in Penang. We work in a hybrid mode so we go to the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Since Weyrdlets launched last year, this year has been focused on adding new gameplay features. A typical week includes planning and implementing features, playtesting as a team, bug hunting, collecting feedback, and refining the experience. On my end, I help with playtesting and work closely with our community by sharing updates, showing work-in-progress stuff, gathering feedback, and passing it back to the dev team for quality-of-life improvements. I also handle press releases, IP collaborations, game award submissions, events, and I’m also always dragging my teammates into company reels.
3. What sparked the development of Weyrdlets?We wanted to make an interactive way to share news and updates from Weyrdworks, kind of like a hub for our players and followers of our previous games. While building it, we also thought, why not make something players can bond with, and bring to their desktop when they’re not playing the game? So the idea evolved from a simple news hub into an actual desktop pet game. With different team members contributing ideas and listening to community feedback, we kept adding features and quality-of-life improvements, shaping the game into what it is today.
4. Weyrdlets has 3 adorable pets to choose from so far! Are there plans to add any future additions and how does each pet behave differently?
Yes! We do have plans for a new pet (which I can’t reveal) but our community members might’ve already caught a few hints we’ve dropped in our Discord. As for behaviors, each pet currently shares the same core features, but we’ve given them distinct personalities through their animations. Wagyu is chaotic and rowdy, Mochi is cute with a bit of a tomboy flair, and Gyoza is just peak cat energy.
5. How far do the customisation options allow players to model each pet to their own liking?
We try to give players a lot of room to get creative. The core design of each pet stays the same, but players can dress them up with hats, ties, other accessories, and even stickers! We’ve also added features like pet resizing for the desktop and pet recoloring so players can tweak them to their liking.
We have seen really creative pets shared on our discord channel that even our developers were surprised with. Let me show you some examples!
OG pets – Gyoza, Wagyu and Mochi
Some Player pets:
Gyoza as a diving enthusiast
6. Previous games by Weyrdworks such as Monster Nest, Unicorns on Unicycles (UOU) and Super Steampuff all feature unique and cute characters! How did the designs for the pets in Weyrdlets come about?
Our game character designs usually come out of fun, collaborative brainstorming sessions with the team. For Weyrdlets, we knew we wanted a dinosaur, but not just any dinosaur. We wanted something weird, different, and still super cute so that’s how Wagyu came to be!
Everyone also agreed we had to include a cat (we’ve got a few cat parents on the team including me!), so that’s why we have Gyoza. I honestly can’t remember exactly where Mochi came from, but during one of our brainstorming sessions, we started leaning into naming the pets after Japanese food. It gave each of them a bit more charm and personality and that’s how we ended up with Wagyu, Mochi, and Gyoza!
7. As a studio that’s been around since 2016, what developments in the gaming scene have you observed and what direction do you think it’s heading in in the future?
There are more game developers in Malaysia now creating PC and console games, which wasn’t as common back when we first started. There are also a lot more creative, original ideas coming from the local scene, and it’s been really cool to watch it grow.
I think we’re heading toward a future where you’ll see even more premium games, fresh IPs, and unique collaborations coming out of Malaysia. Games like No Straight Roads and Rhythm Doctor have already made waves, and it really feels like the local scene is just getting started. It’s a super exciting time for Malaysian game development, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
8. What benefits and/or challenges come with being an indie game dev studio in Malaysia?
One big benefit is the rich cultural inspiration we have access to as a Malaysian game development studio in the South East Asia region. We sometimes include some cultural elements in our game during festive updates in Weyrdlets, and it often sparks curiosity among our international players. It’s fun and educational for them, and it gives us pride in sharing where we’re from.
Casual conversation from our players, curious if lemang is meant to be put on the floor.As for challenges, I think there are plenty. One of the biggest would be funding and visibility can be tough. And we don’t always have the same level of marketing or PR support as bigger studios. But I think the passion in the local indie scene makes up for it, the game developers here really cheer each other on.
9. What kind of gaming experience do you hope Weyrdlets players will have?
We want our players to have a cozy companion that helps them feel less alone, and maybe spark a bit of creativity when decorating their pet’s home. The game isn’t meant to be overwhelming, it’s just there to be weird, sweet, and supportive in its own way.
We’ve heard our players say it helps them through stressful work days or gives them a reason to smile too! ????
10. Where can we subscribe to the progress and news about Weyrdlets and future upcoming games?
You can follow us on Instagram and TikTok (@weyrdlets and @weyrdworks)! If you want direct updates or to chat with the devs (including me!), join our Discord. If you want first hand updates about Weyrdlets, you can also sign up for our newsletter here!
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Thank you once again to Wing Yee for the wonderful insight! I especially loved the player pet showcases. I hope Southeast Asia will continue being a region where indie game studios an thrive. If you want to help our Weyrdworks increase their visibility, consider wishlisting or getting Weyrdlets on Steam!
If you are developing a game and would like me to check it out and arrange for an interview, send me an email at himetokki@gmail.com! I am currently handling a bit of a queue, so there may be some wait time. But your patience and interest is highly appreciated. Thank you dear henchbunnies for supporting this series thus far! Check out more dev interviews by using the search or dev interviews tag.