logo
Asian Developers Make A Splash At Apple Design Awards 2025

Asian Developers Make A Splash At Apple Design Awards 2025

Geek Culture2 days ago

Apple has announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognising innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement across app and game design. This year, Asian developers have taken the spotlight, making up four of the 12 total winners.
Amongst the Asian winners, Singapore's very own Infold Games leaves its mark with the mobile game Infinity Nikki , clinching the award in the Visuals and Graphics (Games) category for pushing the boundaries of what mobile graphics can achieve. The four Asian winners of the Apple Design Awards 2025 include: Delight and Fun (Apps) Winner: CapWords (HappyPlan Tech, China) A language-learning app that transforms everyday objects into interactive stickers accompanied by real-world sounds.
CapWords (HappyPlan Tech, China) A language-learning app that transforms everyday objects into interactive stickers accompanied by real-world sounds. Interaction (Apps) Winner: Taobao (Zhejiang Taobao Network, China)
The shopping app provides 3D models when browsing with the Apple Vision Pro that are comparable to their real-life counterparts, enhancing the online shopping experience with the ability to view and even compare items more accurately. We highlighted this app in our review of the Apple Vision Pro.
Taobao (Zhejiang Taobao Network, China) The shopping app provides 3D models when browsing with the Apple Vision Pro that are comparable to their real-life counterparts, enhancing the online shopping experience with the ability to view and even compare items more accurately. We highlighted this app in our review of the Apple Vision Pro. Visuals and Graphics (Apps) Winner: Feather: Draw in 3D (Sketchsoft, South Korea)A modelling tool that can transform an artist's 2D designs into 3D creations, featuring a minimalist interface that's accessible to all skill levels, alongside full touch and Apple Pen interactions.
Feather: Draw in 3D (Sketchsoft, South Korea)A modelling tool that can transform an artist's 2D designs into 3D creations, featuring a minimalist interface that's accessible to all skill levels, alongside full touch and Apple Pen interactions. Visuals and Graphics (Games) Winner: Infinity Nikki (Infold Games, Singapore)
A cosy open-world mobile game which boasts graphical innovations like detailed fabric texturing, beautifully realised lighting, and effects from advanced shading techniques like Global Illumination.
This year's Asian winners mark a sharp increase from the Apple Design Awards 2024, which only saw one winner from Asia out of a total of 14, that being South Korea's NEOWIZ Corporation, which won the award in the Visuals and Graphics (Game) category with Lies of P for Mac.
Additionally, the pool of finalists for this year's awards also saw a larger number of Asian developers, with five of the 24 runner-ups hailing from Asia, spanning developers from Singapore, Thailand and India. In comparison, only two of the 28 finalists for the Apple Design Awards 2024 were from Asian developers.
With four winners and five finalists from Asian countries, the Apple Design Awards 2025 mark a major win for Asian representation. The full list of Apple Design Award winners and finalists can be found on the official Apple Developer website.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Apple Apple Design Awards Apple Design Awards 2025 Asia

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

LEGO And Netflix 'One Piece' Pirate Ship & More Set Sail In Aug
LEGO And Netflix 'One Piece' Pirate Ship & More Set Sail In Aug

Geek Culture

time4 hours ago

  • Geek Culture

LEGO And Netflix 'One Piece' Pirate Ship & More Set Sail In Aug

Lego will soon embark on its collaboration voyage with Netflix's live-action One Piece series, with five new sets featuring iconic locations from season 1 now available for pre-order with an August 2025 release date. Headlining the upcoming sets is The Going Merry Pirate Ship (set 75639), the iconic vessel used by the Straw Hat Pirates. This 1,376-piece set includes detailed interiors such as a kitchen, the cabin and an accessory workshop, alongside minifigures of Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp, and will also include four random wanted posters of the pirates. The set will retail for S$199.90. As the largest of the five upcoming sets, The Baratie Floating Restaurant (set 75640) depicts the location where Luffy and the gang first met Sanji in the show, and will be made up of a staggering 3,402 pieces. The set will feature numerous interior locations like a dining area, a kitchen, Zeff's quarters and a treasure room, as well as 10 minifigures of Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Zeff, Garp, Helmeppo, Koby, and Mihawk, alongside five random wanted posters, with a retail price of S$449.90. Recreating the intense boss encounter from Season 1, the Buggy the Clown's Circus Tent (set 75637) comes in at S$79.90, and will be made up of 573 pieces. The set features a tent that can be flipped open to reveal a larger play area with three circus contraptions, including a water tank, spinning vertical table and a hanging cage. Buggy, Luffy, Zoro and Nami minifigures are included alongside a smaller version of Buggy that can be split apart and hidden in the set's various boxes and barrels, with the set also including two random wanted posters. Retailing at S$45.90, the Windmill Village Hut (set 75636) marks the smallest set of the bunch at 299 pieces and features the humble origins of the beloved straw hat pirate. The roof of the hut can be removed to unveil the store's interior, featuring accessories like treasure chests and a place to hang the wanted posters collected from other sets in the line-up. The set includes minifigures of Luffy, Shanks, and Makino alongside one random wanted poster. Finally, the 926-piece Battle at Arlong Park (set 75638) recreates the showdown between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Arlong Pirates, featuring a pagoda model, a shooting gallery, a shack and a 'shark attack' throne room, alongside minifigures of Luffy (with bendable stretchy arms), Nami, Usopp, Arlong, and Chu. Additionally, the pagoda can be collapsed into pieces to recreate Luffy's final blow in the show, and the shooting gallery includes stud shooter play elements. The set will also include three random wanted posters and will retail at S$124.90. The Lego Netflix One Piece sets are available for pre-order online and will ship from 1 August 2025. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.

MapleStorySEA's Summer Update Drops Explosive Challengers World, Hyper Burning MAX & Dawnstar Party
MapleStorySEA's Summer Update Drops Explosive Challengers World, Hyper Burning MAX & Dawnstar Party

Geek Culture

timea day ago

  • Geek Culture

MapleStorySEA's Summer Update Drops Explosive Challengers World, Hyper Burning MAX & Dawnstar Party

Even after two decades of grinding, jumping, and bossing, Maple World isn't showing signs of stopping, as MapleStorySEA is bringing one of its most ambitious updates yet to mark the game's 20th anniversary. With new content arriving from June through August 2025, the classic MMORPG is rolling out a suite of new systems, character upgrades, celebratory events, and offline festivities that promise to reshape the summer for veteran players and newcomers alike. First up is Challengers World, a limited-time high-growth server that runs from 4 June to 30 September 2025. Players can create up to five new characters on this server – three of which can be designated as Tera Burning, for faster levelling. All characters in Challengers World start with an exclusive 'Challengers' passive buff that drastically enhances EXP gains, damage output, and critical hit rate. Special missions offer exclusive points and items, but players must transfer their characters to the main servers before the event ends to keep their progress. Miss the World Leap window, and those characters vanish. Launching alongside it is Hyper Burning MAX, a new growth mechanic that accelerates characters toward level 260. Whether starting fresh or using an existing character between levels 200 and 258, players are entitled to a sweet 1+4 bonus, earning five levels for every normal level-up. The rewards along the way include enhanced gear like the Root Abyss set and Absolab weapons, the powerful Eternal Flame title and ring, Arcane and Authentic Symbols, and endgame skill-enhancing Core Gemstones. Additional events such as Tera Blink and the Double Mushroom Pass provide even more EXP and gear incentives, while the upcoming Champion Burning event on 30 July offers another wave of levelling support. Themed events continue with Dawnstar Party from 4 June to 19 August. Infiltrate the Apostles' chaotic gala as an undercover attendant, gather Dawnlight and Starlight Points, and exchange them for buffs, cosmetics, and the coveted Hyper Burning MAX Booster. The event also introduces boss badges and weekly missions where players can exchange them for elite materials and enhancements, adding more variety and incentives for daily play. Celebrations reach a peak with the Special Party from 18 June to 29 July, led by NPC Broomy. Designed as a nod to MapleStorySEA's 20-year legacy, the event features minigames and rewards tailored for long-time fans. On the quality-of-life front, 4 June sees the arrival of Better Maple enhancements. The new Skill Sequence System allows players to cast all buffs with a single key press, eliminating the extra stress and time needed to hit multiple keys, and the Union Board Auto Solver instantly arranges character placements for optimal stat boosts with just one-tap. Market integration across worlds (excluding Challengers World) also makes trading easier and more convenient through a unified Auction House and Meso Market. Major content drops continue into July. The 3rd and 4th Mastery Cores for the 6th Job will arrive on MapleStorySEA's shores on 9 July, offering new skill customisations and animations across all 48 classes. On 30 July, high-level players can push further with the new Union Champion system. This new mechanic ranks designated characters through boss challenges, offering permanent stat bonuses and a customisable buff called Champion's Blessing that applies across all Champions. Capping off the festivities are two large-scale offline anniversary events. The first will be held in Malaysia from 18 to 20 July at Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, followed by Singapore from 15 to 17 August at Suntec City. Attendees can expect exclusive anniversary merchandise, community activities, and live experiences celebrating MapleStorySEA's milestone. Entry is free, but RSVP packages packed with rewards are limited and will be going fast. Further details on RSVP sales can be found on MapleStorySEA's official channels. With its 20th Anniversary Summer update, MapleStorySEA is celebrating history and setting a new standard for the years to come. For full details, visit the MapleStorySEA website and follow the official MapleStorySEA pages on Instagram and Facebook. Passion and love mean little to the Baroness. No man can ever be her master. Where there's terror to be sown and coin earned, that's where she will be with guns akimbo. Advertorial maplestory MapleStorySEA Singapore

‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet': First Looks At 4K 60FPS Gameplay For Nintendo Switch 2
‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet': First Looks At 4K 60FPS Gameplay For Nintendo Switch 2

Geek Culture

time2 days ago

  • Geek Culture

‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet': First Looks At 4K 60FPS Gameplay For Nintendo Switch 2

Pokémon fan or not, there's no denying that Scarlet and Violet could have been released in a better state. From game-breaking glitches to inconsistent frame rates, the ninth-generation titles saw dampened excitement levels at launch, even if they ended up being Nintendo's fastest-selling entries. Fans can expect to bid these issues farewell on the Nintendo Switch 2, where the games will receive a free performance upgrade. Ahead of the console's launch on 5 June, with pre-orders for Singapore starting from 9 June, the company has dropped a gameplay preview running at 60 frames per second and 4K resolution on its Nintendo Today news app. Advertisement ▼ The footage is locked down on the platform, but a 33-second-long recording by Bluesky user Wario64 offers a promising glimpse of Paldea in docked mode. In it, the player is seen traversing various key locations, including the Pokémon Academy in Mesagoza and Casseroya Lake, notoriously known for its major frame rate dips and stutter in the original build, with relative smoothness. The visual experience remains largely unchanged, however, maintaining the same flat textures as before. The update for Scarlet and Violet may be too little, too late, but it does signify a big leap in the right direction, especially with the launch of Pokémon Legends: Z-A just right around the corner. Featuring similar mechanics to its 2022 predecessor Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the highly anticipated title is set in Lumoise City and will introduce cross-generational starter critters Totodile (Generation II), Chikorita (Gen II), and Tepig (Gen V). Advertisement ▼ Combat has also been revamped, with the turn-based tradition eschewed for real-time features akin to other role-playing games, such as active player positioning and dodging. Additionally, the Mega Evolution system is set to return after its last outing in Sun and Moon. Pokémon Legends: Z-A releases on 16 October for both the Nintendo Switch and its upcoming successor. The next-gen console will launch in most regions on 5 June, before landing in Southeast Asia on 26 June.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store