Jaehwa Bernardo

A scene from the 2025 Asian Board Games Festival in Singapore. Handout photo

Article (news)

Asian Board Games Festival makes PH debut in May

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1774501615139ABGF SG 2025 4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A scene from the 2025 Asian Board Games Festival in Singapore. Handout photo"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A scene from the 2025 Asian Board Games Festival in Singapore.<em> Handout photo</em></span></span></span></div><p>The Philippines is set to host the Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) in May, marking the first time the event will be held in the country, organizers said Thursday.</p><p>The two-day event will be held on May 2 and 3 at the Bayanihan Center in Kapitolyo, Pasig City, according to a press release.</p><p>The festival showcases &quot;all kinds of games that reflect the diverse cultures across Asia,&quot; including party games, strategic games, family-friendly games, and thematic games.</p><p>The event offers free admission and is open to all ages, allowing attendees to play and purchase from over 200 games provided by more than 30 publishers from 10 countries across Asia.</p><p>Although admission is free, attendees are encouraged to buy an ABGF Play Passport, which lets them earn stamps by playing games from different countries. Those who complete all the stamps can redeem exclusive prizes.</p><p>&quot;When you come to ABGF, you feel part of a community,&quot; said festival founder Daryl Chow of Origame, a Singapore-based company that designs and publishes board games.</p><p>&quot;It’s not like transactional market events where you come, buy games, and then just go through... you really talk to the designers. You learn about why they make games,&quot; Chow added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/5/30/qc-aspires-to-become-board-game-capital-of-southeast-asia-1423"><strong>READ: QC aspires to become board game capital of Southeast Asia<br/></strong></a></div><p>Aside from game booths, ABGF Philippines will feature panel talks from industry veterans and launches of Filipino works.</p><p>Berlin Manalaysay, author of the komik &quot;Combatron,&quot; will launch his new komiks &quot;Death Metal,&quot; while toy creators Quiccs and TidoDojo will launch their Combatron toy collaboration.</p><p>Meanwhile, Filipino board game publisher Larong Atin — which is organizing the festival with Origame — will run demos of its new miniatures tabletop game, Combatron Komiks Kombat Arena.</p><p>ABGF was first organized in Singapore in 2019 by Origame, allowing the public to play and buy the works of visiting Asian game publishers, designers and artists.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KhUpgwd234I?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Philippines is set to host the Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) in May, marking the first time the event will be held in the country, organizers said Thursday.</p>

The Philippines is set to host the Asian Board Games Festival (ABGF) in May, marking the first time the event will be held in the country, organizers said Thursday.