Following in the footsteps of Pho Anh Hai, a new Vietnamese indie game called Night Shippers is steadily gaining traction thanks to its fresh perspective on the local courier profession and familiar urban Vietnamese settings.

Shippers by night, haunted alleys by design

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Players take on the role of night-shift delivery workers, navigating familiar streets inspired by the developers’ own neighborhoods. Photo: Provided by studio

Night Shippers is a co-op horror game developed by Young Buffalo Studio. Rather than chase far-fetched fantasy themes, the team chose to put players in the shoes of nighttime delivery workers. Players must work in groups of 1–4 to complete deliveries while dealing with unexpected encounters and eerie entities lurking in dark alleyways.

Sharing their inspiration, the developers cited delivery-themed films like Upstream (China) and Ghost Delivery (Thailand). They realized the courier job is widespread and relatable in Vietnam but had yet to be meaningfully explored in gaming. The blend of horror and humor was a practical decision that suited both the team’s current capabilities and player preferences.

One of the game's strengths, as seen in its well-received demo, is its environmental design. The game recreates the atmosphere of Vietnam’s nightlife - complete with dim yellow streetlights and familiar everyday details.

Maps in the game are based on real locations known to the developers. For example, the “District 13 Market” level draws inspiration from the old An Dong market in District 5, while “Dan Phuong” evokes Hanoi’s distinct ambiance. Sound design also plays a key role, incorporating the street cries of nighttime vendors selling banh bao and hu tieu go. Food orders in the game include local favorites like pho, banh mi, and bun cha.

Google expert suggests sustainable path for Vietnam’s game industry

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The Night Shippers development team, made up mostly of Gen Z members. Photo: Provided by studio

 
Night Shippers has emerged at a time when Vietnam's gaming scene is increasingly on the radar of international experts. At the Google Apps Summit 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City, Aditya Swamy, Managing Director of Google Play for Southeast Asia, India, and Australia, shared his views on the industry’s potential.

Aditya emphasized that for a Vietnamese game to succeed internationally, it must focus on original intellectual property (IP) and unique creative angles - core features that make a product stand out and difficult to copy. The originality, engaging gameplay, and fresh ideas in Pho Anh Hai, he said, helped it gain traction not only in Vietnam but globally. Google even featured it as a case study at the event.

One of his key recommendations was for developers to prioritize player retention over short-term novelty. In today’s market, metrics like Lifetime Value (LTV) are more important than simple download counts. To succeed, games must offer layered content, a balanced challenge, and reasons for players to return repeatedly.

Young Buffalo seems to be taking this advice seriously. Founded in 2023, the studio has seven members, most from Gen Z. The team faced significant hurdles early on. Their first prototype was heavily criticized as “too raw” and “unpolished.” But with persistence, they refined the game, and the demo eventually attracted 30,000 players and 10,000 wishlists within just 45 days.

Despite this momentum, the team opted to delay the official launch from its original timeline to March 2026 - three months later than planned. The extra time will be used to add more maps, monsters, and polish while cutting unnecessary features.

The team openly admires Pho Anh Hai, but humbly acknowledges that Night Shippers still has a long way to go to reach similar popularity. Their focus on long-term development over rushing to release reflects a strategic mindset aligned with Nguyen Dinh Khanh, CEO of Wolffun. Khanh stresses that games should be viewed as sustainable business models with proper marketing strategies and economic systems - not just viral flashes in the pan.

Du Lam