Develop:Brighton’s annual search for the next big thing in independent games development is underway, with submissions now open for the eighth Indie Showcase at www.developconference.com.

It’s free to enter the competition, which will see a panel of experts judge the submitted games and draw up a top ten to be showcased at Develop:Brighton in July, on the Wednesday and Thursday of the conference.

The 10 finalists will receive a 3-day pass to Develop:Brighton, pre-event publicity and a profile on the event website. Most importantly however, the finalists will be able to show off their game to all the developers, publishers and members of the media making their way to Brighton.

At the event, two winners will be selected. One by the judges and another by attendees. The overall winner and People’s Choice winner will be announced to press and delegates at Develop:Brighton on Thursday 12 July 2018.

Last year more than 120 games were submitted for judging. Past entrants include award-winning platformer Hue, Sunless Sea, Lumino City and past winner That Dragon, Cancer, which went on to win a BAFTA Game Award following its release in 2016.

The deadline for entries is Friday, 18 May.

Entries can be submitted here: https://www.developconference.com/indie-showcase-competition

Applicants wishing to enter must comply with the following rules:

• Studios with no more than 15 people
• Studios – and games – that are non-publisher funded
• Games which are not published by a third party at the time of submission
• Games that are created in the “indie spirit”
• Full information and application forms can be found on the website www.developconference.com

The Judges

Judging Panel Chair: Alistair Aitcheson - Indie Developer, Alistair Aitcheson Games 

Judges:

• Bruce Slater - Indie Developer, Radical Forge
• Phil Gaskell - Director, Ripstone
• Korina Abbott - Indie Videogame Marketeer, KAGames
• Andrew Smith - Indie Developer,  Spilt Milk Studios
• Romana Ramzan - Lecturer in Games Design, Glasgow Caledonian University 
• Katie Goode - Director, Triangular Pixels

“The Develop: Brighton conference and expo is the best UK-based event aimed at game developers and everyone else within the games industry, attracting attendees from all over the world, from AAA to indie and everything in-between,” said Sam Watts, Director of Immersive Technology, Make Real and one of the team behind 2017 ‘Judge’s Choice’ winner Loco Dojo.

“Submitting your game to the Indie Showcase, and being selected, is a hugely valuable experience and is quick and easy to do! If selected, being able to get your game in front of a wide range of developers, publishers, press and gamers really helps your title standout in an ever-crowded market.

“Plus there’s a great sense of camaraderie amongst the finalists, all keen to network and help each other out. So prepare some stickers, polish a kick-ass game build and get ready for two days of fun and opportunity!”

Chair of the Indie Showcase judging panel Alistair Aitcheson added: "Exhibiting games to press, publishers and our fellow creatives is so valuable to us all as indie developers. The exposure and prestige of being in the Indie Showcase will no doubt create exciting opportunities for the selected finalists. I was part of the judging panel last year, and the quality of the games and the ambition behind them was so inspiring. I'm delighted to have been invited to chair the judging committee this year, and I'm so excited to see what this year's submissions have to offer! Good luck to everyone who enters!"

Note to editors:
Ravi Vijh or Dean Barrett
Bastion
ravi@bastion.co.uk/dean@bastion.co.uk

About Develop:Brighton conference & expo

The Develop:Brighton conference is where the European developer community comes together to learn from each other and share experiences, be inspired by world renowned experts and gurus, get up-to-date with the latest development tools and techniques, make new contacts and catch up with old ones.

With a programme that is shaped by some of the industry's key figures, the conference touches all levels of the development community from the largest studios to the smallest indies; from development directors to programmers.

Twitter @developconf

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