IGF 2006 Main Competition Sees Record Entries

The organizers of the 2006 Independent Games Festival, for which winners will be revealed at the 2006 Game Developers Conference in San Jose next March, have announced a record number of entries for the main 2006 IGF competition. A total of 117 game entries were received for the main IGF competition, including titles from notable indie game studios such as Mind Control Software, Digital Eel, Introversion, Large Animal Games, NewGrounds, FlashBang Studios, MumboJumbo, and many more emerging independent game creators. Multiple indie MMO titles and at least one indie console game are also part of the 2006 IGF, with entry numbers increasing an impressive 50% from the 2005 competition. The main IGF competition, which has awarded prizes in the past to games including Wik & The Fable Of Souls, Alien Hominid, Oasis, and Gish, sports a total prize pool of $35,000 this year, including a biggest-ever $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize for the best independent game, as well as individual $2,500 prizes for Innovation In Visual Art, Innovation In Audio, Innovation In Game Design, Technical Excellence, Best Web Browser Game, and an Audience Award. The next deadline for the IGF is October 10, when entries for the new IGF Modding Competition are due. Those creating mods for Half-Life 2, Unreal Tournament 2004, Neverwinter Nights, and Doom 3 can enter the IGF for a chance at a share of $10,000.