Leading Independent Games Festival Returns October 22-24 and Celebrates Top Achievement and Budding Talent Across The Industry

Santa Monica, CA (September 28, 2021) – IndieCade, the premiere annual celebration of independent games and developers, is returning for its 2021 virtual festival on October 22-24. IndieCade 2021 is free to attend and open to the public, with programming to feature nearly 50 nominees that highlight top achievement across independent gaming; gameplay, demos and tournaments; interactive developer sessions; Twitch streams; Discord conversations; networking opportunities; and more. An all-star lineup of Twitch streamers will host this year’s festival, including Alchemist Joker (Kevin M. Williams), Alistair Aitcheson, Tatiana Vilela dos Santos, Kimchica (Jenny Windom) and ifndef (Sean Bouchard).

“We champion the next generation of indie developers, who are pushing the boundaries of interactive entertainment and on the cusp of launching the next big hit,” stated Stephanie Barish, CEO and Founder, IndieCade, “As part of our continued mission to elevate underrepresented talent and amplify diverse voices, we’re returning in virtual format to reach global audiences and connect indie developers, gamers and enthusiasts during the weekend celebration.”

IndieCade’s 2021 festival nominees demonstrate excellence in craft, artistry and innovative gameplay and represent global perspectives from diverse developer teams. This year’s nominees hail from the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Philippines, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Lithuania, Israel and Chile. Nominated titles and teams include:

- A Strong Fire (Wendi Sierra)

- Adios (Mischief)

- Alice is Missing (Spenser Starke)

- Alma (Alma Game Studios)

- Anyone Can Wear the Mask (Jeff Stormer)

- Beacon Pines (Hiding Spot)

- Before Your Eyes (GoodbyeWorld Games)

- Blackhaven (Historiated Games)

- Blind Drive (Lo-Fi People)

- Cai Cai Balão (Look Up Games)

- CLAWS (Candle House Collective)

- Consumption (Caro Murphy and Brendan Butts)

- Cook, Serve, Delicious 3?! (Vertigo Gaming, Inc.)

- Dice Legacy (DESTINYbit)

- Dot’s Home (Rise-Home Stories Project, Weathered Sweater, Neil Jones, and James Williams)

- Field Guide to Memory (Camp Beetlebug)

- Figment 2: Creed Valley (Bedtime Digital Games)

- Hitchhiker – A Mystery Game (Mad about Pandas UG)

- HoloVista 2.0 (Aconite Co)

- I Expect You To Die 2 (Schell Games)

- Katipuneros RPG: Eve of Revolt (Balaiwari Immersive and Gamified Experiences)

- Larger Than Light (20 Watt Games)

- Letters – A Written Adventure (5am Games GmbH: Selina Capol, Martina Hotz, Aleksandra Iakusheva and Michel Barengo)

- Maskmaker (InnerspaceVR)

- Mundaun (Michel Ziegler, Hidden Fields)

- Out For Delivery (Heart Street)

- Penko Park (Ghostbutter)

- Rain On Your Parade (Unbound Creations)

- RATS: High Tea at Sea (Josh DeBonis & Eric Zimmerman with Shut Up & Sit Down)

- Roguebook (Abrakam Entertainment)

- Romancing Jan (The Romancing Jan Team)

- Saturnalia (Santa Ragione)

- Savage Hall (Dark Arcade Theater)

- Spiritway to the Lighthouse (Fishermen Crew)

- Star Explorers (Schmidt Workshops)

- Stilstand (Ida Hartmann & Niila Games)

- Stonefly (Flight School Studio)

- Surrealist Dinner Party (Resonym)

- The Boy in the Book (CYOD Ltd)

- The College Atlas (John William Evelyn)

- The Fermi Paradox (Anomaly Games)

- The Forger (Lazy Susan Games)

- The Gardener and the Wild Vines (Finite Reflection Studios)

- The Lullaby of Life (1 Simple Game)

- The Pickfair Directive (USC Games)

- The Signifier: Director’s Cut (Playmestudio)

- The Telelibrary (Yannick Trapman-O'Brien)

- Utility for the Soul (Weekend Warriors)

The annual IndieCade Awards will honor top achievement during the festival and be live streamed on Sunday, October 24 at 12pm Pacific. Among returning awards for innovation in interactive design, experience design, audio, visual, live action, tabletop, performance, narrative and beyond, this year’s Bernie DeKoven Big Fun Award will honor Nathalie Pozzi and Eric Zimmerman for their work on climate-focused interactive installation games. Winners of the additional categories will be announced live during the ceremony.

Leading up to the 2021 festival, IndieCade will host its annual IndieXchange developer summit on October 2-3, a Playable Theater Symposium on October 16 and the upcoming Iron Game Design Challenge with university partners. For more information on IndieCade 2021 and all upcoming events, visit: https://anywhere.indiecade.com/

ABOUT INDIECADE

Applauded as the “Sundance of the videogame industry,” IndieCade supports independent game development globally through a series of international events highlighting the rich, diverse, artistic and culturally significant contributions of indie game developers. IndieCade's programs are designed to bring visibility to and facilitate the production of new works within the emerging independent game community. Upcoming events include IndieXchange on October 2-3 and the 2021 IndieCade Festival on October 22-24. IndieCade also hosts weekly series on Twitch, including Iron Game Design Challenge, Beyond Screens, RP Game Changers, Audio Life, Monster Card Readings, Korean Drive Time and Get Latest. For more details, visit: https://www.indiecade.com/