Davaoeño Duo Develops ‘Jeepney Simulator’ Mimicking Real-Life Driving

These long-time best friends created the 3D steam game “Jeepney Simulator”, players drive through Dabbo City and simulate the life of a Jeepney driver by earning income and spending it on upgrades or life-related expenses.

“Just two students having fun!” written on Spacezero Interactive’s Facebook page, composed of game creators Joshua Kenzie Bicoy and Alvin Vann Arapoc.

Bicoy and Arapoc touched on traditional jeepneys, road maps, and a realistic traffic system similar to their hometown.

They constantly update their 3D game and spend most of their time developing it based on their supporters’ comments or wishes, which mimics driving life in the Philippines.

On September 16, Jeepney Simulator’s full version was uploaded on stream, wherein players can afford the game for only Php 199.

Early versions of the game were easily pirated, leading the creators to release a statement urging the public to buy the game instead. “Just please buy the game if you can afford it, as it’s your support that keeps us going and enables us to improve Jeepney Simulator and hopefully make more games in the future,” the creators wrote on their Facebook page.

They added that, as students, they had to sacrifice their time and knowledge to bring the game to life.

“If everyone pirated our game, there would be no reason for us to keep working. We worked hard for the past six months, sacrificing ten hours a day with barely any weekend breaks and without any income,” they said.

Nevertheless, Bicoy and Arapoc express their gratitude to supporters by working on a possible Jeepney Simulation 2 and a new 3D horror game.

These young, bright minds have great potential in the game development industry while introducing Filipino culture virtually to international players.