From passion to product: Artist Alley kicks off at sold-out Hoyo Fest convention
SINGAPORE - It is shaping up to be a dream weekend for full-time crochet artist Sherry Mak.
Just as she has in years past, the gaming fan, who is in her late 30s, is attending the three-day Hoyo Fest Singapore, an annual event organised by industry giant Hoyoverse.
But this year's edition is different: She is among 38 artists granted a spot at the Artist Alley, where
creators can sell their fan-made merchandise , sanctioned by Hoyoverse.
It is a first in five editions of the event and deviates from the industry norm - where large media franchises are typically protective of its intellectual property.
The air at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the event is held, buzzed with excitement on July 26 as fans gathered to celebrate their shared love for Hoyoverse's sprawling universes.
Fans dressed up as their favourite characters at Hoyo Fest on July 26.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Event-goers are greeted by snaking queues, cosplayers, and merchandise booths, each vying for attention at every corner.
Over 6,000 tickets for the event, which runs from July 25 to 27, were all sold out on its opening day.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge
Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control
Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat
Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore kids
Asia Johor faces healthcare worker shortage amid population boom, pull of higher Singapore salaries
Asia Death toll climbs as Thai-Cambodia clashes continue despite calls for ceasefire
Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar
Asia Shunsaku Tamiya, who brought perfection to plastic race car models, dies at 90
In the spotlight this year are four of the company's games – Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Honkai Impact 3 and Zenless Zone Zero, which has generated about $112 million in total revenue from the Singapore market, according to data analytics firm Sensor Tower.
Ms Mak's booth was down to its bare bones when The Straits Times visited at about 2.30pm. Her stock of about 100 self-made wares - from keychains and crocheted card pouches, to spectacle holders - were mostly replaced with 'sold out' signs. Her creations range from $18 to $30, with larger customised dolls from $68.
With her lunch placed aside, she was busy making restocks of her standout attraction: crochet stuffed dolls of characters from Hoyoverse games, each taking her about five hours to craft.
Ms Sherry Mak's most popular products are a series of Honkai: Star Rail characters redesigned as little crochet birds.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
'Many of my items were sold out on the first day, and I'm hoping to restock as much as I can for tomorrow,' quipped Ms Mak, adding that this has been her most successful sales outing at an event since she converted to selling fan-made merchandise full-time over a year ago.
'I appreciate that Hoyoverse allows us to make fan merchandise and sell them without having to worry about intellectual property issues,' she said.
Her experience mirrors that of several other participating artists, including 29-year-old Jie Yin Yong, professionally known as Jyyin.
Ranging between $2 and $85, some of her creations were already sold out, something that she said she was not expecting to happen this quickly at this event, given her experience at other events previously.
The star items at her booth are a series of character birthday cards, and miniature charms of characters from Genshin Impact - one of three Hoyoverse games she has played every day for the past four years, averaging up to two hours daily.
To date, she has made a charm for 110 characters, including all 101 playable characters. She takes a day or two to draw each creation, before they are turned into a charm, or a Polaroid-style print.
'I usually just see clips of Hoyo Fest online and felt like I really missed out! I'm just happy to be able to attend this year,' Ms Yong said, adding that she looks forward to participating again next year.
Ms Jie Yin Yong said she was surprised to see the Artist Alley being introduced this year, and applied without a second thought.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
A Hoyoverse spokesperson said: 'We are thrilled to have these talented creators display their fan merchandise at the Artist Alley at Hoyo Fest.
'At the same time, it is also heartening to see the Hoyoverse community respond so positively to the artists, and supporting them and their craft.'
Hoyo Fest started out at a cafe the Aniplus Cafe at Esplanade Mall in 2021, and expanded into a lobby space at Suntec City mall in 2024. The 2025 iteration is the largest one in terms of event space, and the first time it is ticketed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Paper
3 hours ago
- New Paper
ST, Uniqlo launch design contest for Singapore stories T-shirt collection
The Straits Times and Uniqlo have partnered to immortalise three Singapore stories in a limited series, print-on-demand T-shirt collection. The Japanese apparel giant and the newspaper have launched a T-shirt design contest open to all local residents with a Singapore story to tell, as part of a series of events to mark ST's 180th anniversary this year. The newspaper was first published on July 15, 1845. Submissions, which must be original artworks, are open till 11.59pm on Sept 7. Three winners will be announced in November. The winning designs, along with two others contributed by ST artists, will be available for printing at Uniqlo's Jewel, Vivo City and Orchard Central stores at $19.90 in kids' sizing or $29.90 for adults. The sample designs by the ST artists are titled "Capturing the rhythm of life and textures of our home", and "Highlighting the native species of flora and fauna that can be found in Singapore". The winners will receive $600 Uniqlo vouchers in their Uniqlo apps, a one-year ST digital subscription valued at $358.80 and limited-edition ST180 merchandise. ST Editor Jaime Ho said: "For much of this year, as we celebrate our 180th anniversary, The Straits Times has been working with Singaporeans on 'Telling Your Singapore Story'. "I'm glad to be able to continue this by inviting readers to express their uniquely Singapore stories through art. I look forward to seeing Singaporeans' creativity come alive, and eventually unveiling the winning designs." Said marketing director of Uniqlo Singapore Paulene Ong: "Uniqlo Singapore is proud to partner with The Straits Times to invite Singaporeans to share their stories. "Guided by our LifeWear philosophy - high-quality everyday clothing designed to make life better - we believe that being part of Singaporeans' daily lives is at the heart of what we do. "We are excited to discover the stories and creativity that emerge through this initiative, and we look forward to showcasing their designs across our channels." Anyone who lives in Singapore is eligible to participate in the contest, but those younger than 18 years old must have the consent of their parent or guardian. All contestants must be Uniqlo app members. Winners must agree to be interviewed, photographed and filmed by The Straits Times. Designs can be done in any medium, including digital or hand-drawn illustrations, so long as generative artificial intelligence (AI) is not used. AI-generated works will be disqualified.
Asia News Network
5 hours ago
- Asia News Network
Singapore-made bot matchmakes strangers virtually
August 7, 2025 SINGAPORE – Undergraduate Mia, 26, has been chatting with potential dates on Telegram, but she has never seen their faces. It is only when they meet for their first date that she knows what they look like. She is among thousands who have been using amble, a Singapore-made bot that operates much like a virtual matchmaker. Introduced as a bot on Telegram – as @ambleprojectbot – in April 2023, amble is now also available as an app. On amble, users start out completely anonymous to each other, and do not have any idea what the other person looks like. This is in stark contrast to popular dating apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, where details like a person's appearance, height and occupation are often made visible. For Mia, this has been a great pull. She told The Straits Times that her previous experience using Bumble made her feel as though she was 'a tomato on display' at a Sunday market. With looks out of the equation on amble, Mia said she has been able to better determine her compatibility with her matches. '(A person's appearance) just isn't that high on my list in comparison with values or personality,' she said. As the conversation between two users progresses, 'milestones' are unlocked and more is revealed about the parties. This can include fun facts about them or a picture of them – the latter only if both users have chosen to share a photo. Mia said she and her matches chose not to reveal what they look like, and instead went on 'fun, blind meet-ups'. She has gone on two such meet-ups and said they were both enjoyable. 'Not rushed, not transactional' Ms Alyssa Chua, 27, co-founder of amble, told ST she began experimenting with the idea of the bot in 2023 as she felt that conversations, particularly those on dating apps, were beginning to feel more fleeting than before. 'We swipe, we judge, we expect instant chemistry. If sparks don't fly in the first few seconds, we move on,' she said. 'And yet, when we do find something real… it's because of a conversation that made us pause, think and see someone beyond the surface.' Ms Chua said she chose to name the bot 'amble' to reflect how she felt a conversation should feel. 'Not rushed, not transactional, but like taking a walk in the park with someone, one step at a time,' she said. That sentiment has resonated with enough users for Ms Chua and fellow co-founder Cayden Gwee, 27, to decide to release an app version of the bot in April. Ms Chua said there are now about 6,000 people using amble, both on Telegram and the app. Users can join for free, but need to pay for additional features. On Telegram, they can pay $10 a month for features such as faster matches and the ability to send videos, GIFs and voice messages. On the amble app, users can pay for benefits that include the ability to view their matches' online status, and receive up to six prompts or questions a day posed by the bot. The payment plans start from $12 a week to $48 for six months. The prompts, which are sent by the bot intermittently during the conversation, aim to help users find common ground. These can range from simple ones like whether they have unusual hobbies or talents to ones that provoke deeper thought such as: 'Do you think there's any sort of scenario which makes it fair to reveal a secret?' Mr Mac Healy, 27, who began using amble in 2024, told ST the 'brainwork' needed to answer most questions has helped him strike up 'pretty good' conversations and led to meaningful matches and dates. This is in comparison to popular dating apps, where conversations are 'the same… rinse-and-repeat', said the financial analyst. 'It's not like 'What's your favourite colour?' – I get sick hearing that every single time I enter a new talking phase… amble adds a good twist,' he added. Users can also filter the people they will be matched with based on their intention – whether they are looking for something romantic or platonic. Ms Chua said users have found all kinds of connections through amble. 'Some have met romantic partners – we've received very cute photos – while others have discovered shared passions with like-minded hobbyists,' she said. But with the online dating scene increasingly filled with scammy profiles and bots generated by artificial intelligence (AI), how sure can users be that the person they are chatting with is real? Ms Chua said that on Telegram, bots – like amble – are not allowed to engage with other bots, as part of the messaging app's security measure to prevent potential abuse. On the amble app, every profile is verified through the user's e-mail and phone number. The phone numbers are then cross-checked against databases of fraudulent numbers to prevent abuse, added Ms Chua. AI is also used on the app to assess users' answers to questions set out by amble during onboarding. 'Behind the scenes, we use AI to evaluate these responses by looking for indicators of intent, sincerity and alignment with the kind of meaningful conversations amble is built for,' said Ms Chua. 'This helps us ensure that the people on the platform are real and genuinely here to connect.' App not the end for Telegram bot Ms Chua said Telegram was chosen as the platform to first roll out amble as it gave the bot's creators the flexibility to test ideas, and without requiring users to download something that was new. Mr Ryan, who wanted to be known by only one name, said he found it convenient that he did not have to download yet another app onto his phone. '(It) definitely pulled me to using amble,' said the 29-year-old commercial pilot, who has been using the bot since early 2025. Ms Chua said Telegram also 'felt like a natural place for real conversations to happen'. However, the messaging platform also limited what Ms Chua and Mr Gwee could do with amble. For example, the bot is only able to let users speak to one match at a time. 'With an app, we are able to introduce concurrent matches, letting people explore multiple connections at once,' said Ms Chua. While users can experience only a simple chat interface on Telegram, an app allows for custom interfaces that could stimulate more thoughtful conversations, and even introduce game-like elements to inspire more playful interactions. The app, though, does not spell the end of the amble Telegram bot. Noting that some users preferred the bot's simplicity on Telegram, Ms Chua said she is exploring ways to keep it as an option alongside the app. 'But moving forward, the app will be our focus – because it allows us to build amble the way we've always envisioned it, without compromises,' said Ms Chua.
New Paper
7 hours ago
- New Paper
TikTok video warning young people against Kpods earns praise online
A viral TikTok video warning young people of the dangers of Kpod vapes and urging viewers to help friends quit or to report them has earned online praise. TikTokker jeff_wang_jun posted the video on Aug 5, where he pretends to be high while "inhaling" on a marker pen and falls. "Very cool, meh? Let me show you again what you look like." He repeats the act before saying: "You could be doing something cool, like dancing, kickboxing, or go‑karting, but you choose to be a druggie zombie, like, huh?" He then urges viewers who know anyone using Kpods to warn them of the harm it would cause and to report them if the advice is not heeded. "They may not be thankful for you doing that now but trust me when I say this - the future them will love you for it." The video has had more than 280,000 views and 31,600 reactions. 'More effective than govt ads' "Louder bro LOUDER," commented huaxuewuX in encouragement. "Thank you for saying it straight," said aileen. "Thank you for the great work," said TT. Some even felt his reel was more effective than official efforts to curb the problem. "More effective than the govt ads bro," said Veebs. There were also comments on his acting. "Mediacorp is calling," said SalmonSlays. "Mediacorpse class acting there," said Justin tin, who was less impressed. Some commented on his youthful appearance. He claimed in the comments to be 34 and married with children, but Must Share News reported that he is 27 and training to be a financial advisor. "Are you single? asking for a friend." said User937562910Q. Jokes aside, the message was serious, and most netizens appreciated that. "I will never understand those people," said Ventea of Kpod users.
