We’ll be working on a review for 1998: The Toll Keeper Story, so I got in touch with GameChanger Studio to talk a bit about the game and its development. Come check it out!
PS4Blog: Good morning. Thank you for joining us today. Could you please help us get started by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your work?
Hello! I am Riris Marpaung, the Game Director of 1998: The Toll Keeper Story. I am also the Founder of GameChanger Studio. I founded the studio in 2013. We also developed the My Lovely trilogy. They are simulation games with heavy narrative that you can check out on Nintendo Switch.
PS4B: 1998: The Toll Keeper Story is out now on PlayStation 5. How would you describe the game to someone that’s new to it?
It’s a Papers, Please-like game about the Asian economic crisis in 1998. You play as Dewi, a pregnant toll keeper who must make careful and difficult decisions every day for the sake of the unborn baby, your loved one, and yourself!
PS4B: How long did it take to develop this project? Were there any major changes between the original concept phase and the final product we now get to play on Sony’s console?
We developed the game in 2025, and on the PlayStation 5, players get a different experience, with haptic feedback implemented. Thanks to the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller, Dewi’s journey is even more immersive. The advanced haptics adapt uniquely to the various types of vehicles passing through Dewi’s booth. These vibrations will serve not only as vital gameplay clues but also as a physical representation of the earth-shattering challenges Dewi must endure while navigating her pregnancy.
PS4B: Are there any plans to bring the game to the Nintendo Switch 2 and take advantage of the console’s touchscreen, mouse controls, and HD Rumble 2 feedback?
That’s a good idea; it is interesting to try to take advantage of the console’s strengths, but we don’t have any plans for it at this stage, as we’re currently focused on other work.
PS4B: And that’s all the time we have for today. Is there something else you’d like to add before we go?
We are so thankful to the media for helping us spread the game, so more players can enjoy the simulation and its rich historical story from Southeast Asia.
