This year, we had 147 games entered into our 3rd indiePub developers' contest. The games represented a gamut of platforms from Flash and Unity, to downloadable and even cross platform. There were entertaining rehashes on well-known genres as well as entirely new game concepts. The developers represented 28 countries spread over 6 continents, making this our most globally diverse game competition yet.
You all waded into this large pool of entries, downloading games over 165,000 times and more than 3000 hours of game play. We have painstakingly tallied all of the votes, and you, the indiePub community, have chosen your favorite.
And now, the moment that we've made you all wait for; the 3rd Independent Game Developers' Contest indiePub Community Favorite is:
medi, the developer of Bo, will be receiving the community favorite prize of $5,000!
While you were all voting, we here at indiePub were playing each and every game to prepare for the other portion of the contest - the finalists and $100,000 grand prize winner!
There were so many excellent games; it was a big challenge to compile the winners list. We worked with our judges and finally decided upon six games. Here they are, in alphabetical order:
With this announcement, we would like to invite all the finalists to join us for a free trip to GDC Online in Austin, Texas! Each of these finalists have won a prize: they are either a category winner or the $100,000 grand prize winner. We will reveal which game won which prize in Austin on October 7.
Here are descriptions of the six categories:
- Best Art - This is awarded to a game that demonstrates excellence in its artistry. It also gives attention both to form and function in its visual design.
- Best Audio - This award is given to a game that expertly integrates audio as a critical aspect of the gameplay experience, either mechanically or aesthetically.
- Best Design - A developer who creates a game awarded Best Design truly understands how to craft an interesting gameplay experience. Such a game can elegantly create complex scenarios out of simple components.
- Technical Excellence - A technically excellent game skillfully demonstrates innovation and ambition in its construction. Its technical achievements bring irreplaceable value to the game as a whole.
- Staff Pick - The Staff Pick prize is awarded to a game that the indiePub staff unanimously and particularly enjoyed.
- Grand Prize - The Grand Prize is awarded to a game that demonstrates excellence in all categories. It is well-rounded, polished, and fun to play. This game exemplifies the spirit of independent game development.
So many more games deserve recognition; over the next few weeks, we'll reveal our list of semi-finalists as well as some of our favorite games that didn't make it.
Congratulations to all the Finalists. Thanks to everyone for submitting your games!
