2007 Independent Games Festival Site Launched

The organizers of the Independent Games Festival (part of the CMP Game Group, as is Gamasutra) have announced the launch of the official 2007 IGF website, with all-new info on the 9th Annual Festival. In a post on the official site, the organizers have explained the changes for this year, as follows: "- the IGF Main Competition, a resounding success in 2006, has received a few minor tweaks (slight category name changes, a demo is mandatory to enter the Audience Award if a finalist), but continues with the $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize, and multiple $2,500 awards for innovative design, audio, technical prowess, art, and best web game. We're really looking forward to entries, and the deadline this year is September 8, 2006 at 11:59pm PDT.

- the IGF Mod Competition, a big hit in its first year, is going even more freeform this year, and allowing mods from any game to compete - from Thief to Half-Life 2 to Oblivion to The Sims and beyond, all mods are eligible. From the entrants, we will pick Best Singleplayer FPS Mod, Best Multiplayer FPS Mod, Best RPG Mod, and Best 'Other' Mod finalists (each a $500 prize), and those winners will show at the 2007 GDC, competing for an overall $5,000 Best Mod prize. Deadline for entrants is October 13, 2006 at 11:59pm PDT.

- the IGF Student Showcase, which continues to be one of the most hotly contested parts of the Festival, continues to honor the ten Student Showcase Winners with $500 travel stipends and an opportunity to show their game at GDC 2007. But we're also adding a $2,500 Best Student Game award, honoring the absolute best student game submitted to the IGF this year. Deadline for entrants this year is November 10, 2006 at 11.59pm PDT.

In addition to all this, we're pleased to announce that all Independent Games Festival finalists will also be playable in the IGF Pavilion at GDC from March 7-9, 2007, alongside an IGF/indie gaming-themed day of lectures and roundtables on March 6, new for 2007 to help coalesce the IGF community - more information on this will be released at a later date." Gamasutra will continue to cover the IGF, including an official press release calling for entries and further information on the indie-themed panels at next year's GDC, over the next few weeks.