Submissions Now Open for the 2009 Independent Games Festival

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Services, organizer of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), is pleased to announce that submissions are now open for the 2009 Independent Games Festival (IGF). Submissions to the 11th annual festival are due by November 2008, with finalists to be announced January 5, 2009.

Games selected as finalists will available in playable form on the GDC show floor and will compete for nearly $50,000 in prizes, including awards for Innovation, Excellence in Design, and the coveted $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize. Winners will be announced on stage at the prestigious Independent Games Festival Awards on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at the Moscone Center inSan Francisco. The Independent Games Festival Awards are held alongside the Game Developers Choice Awards and both award shows are part of the 2009 Game Developers Conference.

Over the past few years, the Independent Games Festival has helped guide the rise of the indie game scene by honoring and popularizing the best and brightest independent developers and their games. Former IGF winners include Everyday Shooter, Audiosurf, and World of Goo.

Notable evolutions to this year's festival include:

-- A new award for innovation. In addition to the $20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the awards for audio, art direction, design and technology, the IGF is presenting a new Innovation Award in the Main Competition. This new award will honor abstract, short form, and unconventional game experiences outside the realm of the traditional categories.

-- A number of new IGF judges. This year's judges will include Spore designer Chaim Gingold, World Of Goo co-creator Kyle Gabler, The Sims Studio head Rod Humble, Civilization IV co-creator Soren Johnson, Rock Paper Shotgun co-founder Jim Rossignol, and Crayon Physics author Petri Purho.

Returning IGF judges include independent game creators Jon Blow (Braid), Raigan Burns (N+), and Derek Yu (Aquaria), game industry veterans Brian Reynolds (Big Huge Games), Chris Rausch (SuperVillain Studios), and Chris Charla (Foundation9), and journalists N'Gai Croal (Newsweek), Chris Kohler (Wired News), and Stephen Totilo (MTV News). The full list of judges will be announced in the near future.

"We're delighted to welcome a new cadre of judges, alongside categories that encourage even greater experimentalism and innovation, to our industry-leading indie game competition," said Simon Carless, Chairman of the IGF. "We're very much looking forward to seeing what you crazy independent developers come up with this time round."

Submissions to the competition are now open to all independent game developers; important dates for IGF 2009 are as follows:

    July 1st, 2008              Submissions are Open
    November 1st, 2008          Submission Deadline, Main Competition
    November 15th, 2008         Submission Deadline, Student Competition
    January 5th, 2009           Finalists Announced, Main Competition
    January 19th, 2009          Finalists Announced, Student Competition
    March 23rd-27th, 2009       Game Developer's Conference 2009
    March 25th-27th, 2009       IGF Pavilion @ GDC
    March 25th, 2009            2009 IGF Awards Ceremony

For a complete list of IGF 2008 event information, please visit http://www.igf.com/.

About the Think Services Game Group

A core provider of essential information to the professional game industry, the Think Services Game Group offers market-defining content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of print, online, event and research products and services. These include Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer Research, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, GameCareerGuide.com, WorldsInMotion.biz, GameSetWatch.com, GamesOnDeck.com, SeriousGamesSource.com, the Game Developers Conference, the Austin Game Developers Conference, the Paris Game Developers Conference, GDC Mobile, the Game Career Seminars, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards. For more information, please visit http://www.tsgamegroup.com/.

About Think Services

Think Services connects specialized communities worldwide using innovative media, educational events, consulting, training and certification. Providing comprehensive opportunities for people to learn from, network with, and inspire each other, Think Services builds strong brands and works within communities to foster a unique affinity with its products and services. The division's flagship products include the Game Developers Conference, the Webby Award-winning Gamasutra.com, Game Developer magazine, the International Customer Management Institute, HDI, and Dr. Dobb's Journal. Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion. To learn more, visit http://www.think-services.com.

SOURCE Think Services

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