Indie Game Challenge Organizers Confirm 2011 Competition

Author: by Staff

Organizers for the AIAS/GameStop affiliated Indie Game Challenge said Monday that the indie competition will return for a second year, this time allowing international developers to compete for cash prizes and more. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, specialty retailer GameStop and The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University, all of which collaborate to hold the event, confirmed that IGC will have two grand prizes of $100,000 each -- one prize for the top professional developer, and one for the top non-professional developer. IGC will also offer additional cash prizes and scholarships in excess of $350,000, organizers said, including a $50,000 scholarship to The Guildhall at SMU. Last year saw the debut of IGC (which is not affiliated with Game Developers Conference's annual Independent Games Festival), which awarded Lazy 8's Cogs, Team 3's Gear each $100,000 for professional and non-professional awards, respectively. The event was not open to international competitors last year. Organizers said that they expect the competition to "attract a far greater number of top quality entries now that more people in the development community are aware of the competition." Last year saw over 250 entrants. The 2011 IGC is accepting submissions through October 1, 2010. Registrants must submit a working beta copy of the game along with a pitch video. Submissions are judged by members of the AIAS. Finalists will be able to show their games to industry professionals at AIAS' DICE Summit in Las Vegas in February. Their pitch videos will also be shown on GameStop TV, the retailer's in-store programming. "The number of games submitted [last year] was surpassed by the overall quality of the 12 finalists," said AIAS president Joseph Olin. "The three partners collectively are committed to cultivating the immense pool of talent within this global medium -- which is what led to opening the Challenge to international teams."