Filipino board games are stepping onto the global stage, and Larong Atin is leading the charge. From homegrown hits to international collaborations, they’re building a tabletop culture that’s uniquely Filipino. How did they get here, and what’s next? Dive into this interview to find out.
Q: Please give the readers a short introduction about Larong Atin and Ludus Distributors. What is your origin story?
Larong Atin was founded to promote and publish Philippine-designed board and card games, starting with Q&V, Quotes and Verses in 2015—a game about sharing. From that first title, Larong Atin has grown into a dedicated publishing brand with over 12 games, spanning Filipino pop culture icons (Darna, Lastikman, Combatron), advocacy-driven titles (Watch List, Pawikan Patrol), and mainstream hits (Folded Wishes, Hugot). The mission remains the same: create games Filipinos can be proud of and make tabletop gaming more accessible to all.
Larong Atin is part of Ludus Distributors, the leading tabletop hobby game distributor in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. Ludus works with all major tabletop publishers and is expanding its operations regionally with several major brands. With over two decades of industry experience, Ludus continues to fuel the tabletop community by bringing the best games to more tables.
Q: Tell us more about Larong Atin, and what were the steps taken to help grow and develop skills for Filipino board game designers?
One of Larong Atin’s main goals is to promote Filipino-designed games both locally and internationally. We believe in local talent, so we actively seek out designers and creatives looking for opportunities to get published.
Our search has led to a diverse pool of creatives with different backgrounds and professions, shaping games with their own style and goals. This diversity has allowed our design team to constantly engage in dialogue with each other, building each project up in a rounded manner.
Q: Singapore audiences are curious about the state of the tabletop culture in the Philippines. Any trends or unique characteristics you have observed over the years?
As observed with the rest of Asia, the trend seems to be this proliferation of medium-to-light family games, that highlight innovation and replayability. This happy middle is where all kinds of hobbyists meet- from core gamers to newer players and families. Either as a game night highlight or as filler between heavier games, these kinds of games have found their space in most tables.
Larong Atin has sought to engage this trend by approaching non-traditional hobby circles and by putting a focus on the family and developing a more casual approach to the hobby. We hope to contribute to forming a tabletop culture that is less daunting to non-hobbyists.
Q: You were at the Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) held at Singapore in 2024,. Talk about your experience during the event. How was the reception of Singapore crowds to your games?
We always look forward to joining ABGF! Singapore has been kind to us whenever we’re around. It has even come to the point that the community, both the crowds and our fellow publishers, is a major highlight for Larong Atin.
Outside of the regular booth experience, Singapore has also become a good place to try our designs first before pursuing other markets. In contrast to the Philippines, the games most well-received by the Singapore crowd are on the thinkier side, including abstract titles such as Folded Wishes and Tayog.
Some notable designs from Larong Atin trend toward a social slant, such as in Darna and the Missing Stone and Watch List, and watching the ABGF audience interact with somewhat Filipino-adjacent social gaming is interesting.
Q: What was it like interacting with different Southeast Asia board game publishers during ABGF?
It always is a pleasure to be in the company of other Asian game designers. For us, ABGF has become a melting pot of ideas and learnings from country to country. We make it a point to share notes on designs, best practices, and local cultural trends with other publishers, and also actively encourage one another to keep on making waves in the tabletop industry. We learn as much as we share!
Q: Games from Larong Atin had the opportunity to be displayed at the Sentro Rizal Centre at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore in 2024, please share about the significance of this milestone.
Filipino families and professionals are known to be everywhere all over the world. Our appearance at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore is part of our ongoing international push to make Filipino-designed games accessible to both a foreign and diasporic audience.
We plan to make waves in more countries very soon!
Q: How do you hope to continue to build and develop the tabletop culture in the Philippines?
As the local tabletop scene grows, Larong Atin wants to make gaming a natural part of family life and inspire more Filipino designers to create their own games.
We constantly push ourselves to craft better games—ones that Filipinos can take pride in. After all, Filipino pride is at the heart of everything we do.
Q: Any future events you are looking forward to, either locally or internationally, where you plan to collaborate with other tabletop gaming communities?
Aside from the annual Asian Board Games Festival, we are looking forward to this year’s Board-Gaming Advocates and Enthusiasts Convention (Board-Gaming Advocates and Enthusiasts Convention), the largest Philippine board game convention, run by passionate hobbyists and volunteers! It’s happening this April 5 and 6 and it will feature international publishers, most of whom we met in ABGF!
Q: What is something that audiences can eagerly expect from Larong Atin in 2025?
February marks the 10th year anniversary of Larong Atin, so we’ve lined up quite a lot for everyone.
In terms of games, Tayog, as previewed In ABGF 2024, is set to release this year. A few other games are also slated for release this year, with one of them being a revisit of a Larong Atin classic. We can’t divulge yet, but there’s a few more announcements we hope will get you excited with us!
Q: Where can we find your games?
Larong Atin can be found locally through the Ludus Distributors website (https://ludusproducts.com/) as well as in select partner retailers throughout the Philippines.
Internationally, some of our titles are available through the Singapore Board Game Design shop (https://www.sgboardgamedesign.com/shop).
For any other inquiries, you can also drop us a message on our Facebook page for Larong Atin! (https://www.facebook.com/LarongAtin)
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