The India Game Developer Conference (IGDC), India’s premier event for game developers, announced its 13th edition to be held this year between 16 November to 18 November. Like the previous edition, this edition will also be a virtual affair.
The event is being held in partnership with the Government of Telangana. IGDC is a major catalyst in enabling the growth of the Indian gaming ecosystem and sees enthusiastic participation from game developers, publishers, and investors each year. Its goal is to support and empower game developers with insights, upskilling and networking opportunities in the presence of industry leaders and investors.
This year, there will be 10 key tracks at IGDC, including the latest addition of the hot favourite Hyper-casual track. These are:
- Design
- Art
- Engineering
- Production
- Applied Games
- Indie
- eSports
- Hyper-casual
- Careers
- Business and Product Management
The event is expected to see attendance from around 10,000 people, 120+ industry experts, 100+ e-stalls, 30 publishers, and 30 investors. Unreal Engine will be the presenting sponsor and MPL and AWS will be the gold sponsors for the event.
Annual India Game Developer Awards 2021
The conference also encompasses the Annual India Game Developer Awards, submissions for which end on 18 October, 2021. The finalists will be announced on 10 November, 2021 and the winners will be felicitated on the first day of IGDC.
The award categories are as follows:
- Studio Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence and creates a distinct gaming experience across all platforms and genres
- Indie Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence made by an Indie/Indie Team
- Student Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence made by a student/student group
- Upcoming Game of the Year: Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence that is unreleased/under development
- Popular Choice Award (*New Category): Awarded to the game which gets the most votes from attendees and viewers
- Hyper-casual Game of the Year (*New Category): Awarded to the game that stands out in the Hyper-casual games category
Build Your Own Game
This year, IGDC will also mark the return of BYOG (Build Your Own Game) – India’s oldest game jam. In its 16th edition, BYOG will be held between 22October (6:00PM) to 24 October (6:00 PM) on itch.io and will see game developers across the country compete together to make a game within a limited amount of time across various themes. The results will be announced during IGDC.
BYOG has been instrumental in identifying and encouraging game development talent from the country over the years, with past winners having gone on to win international accolades and establish successful games and careers.
Commenting on the upcoming event YesGnome co-founder Sridhar Muppidi, said: “Online gaming has seen a meteoric rise in recent years. Fuelled by the pandemic, rise in investments and heightened internet penetration, we foresee a lot more growth in India’s game development ecosystem. There is immense talent in our country and a platform like IGDC seeks to recognise, empower and connect them with the right investors and publishers. Following the success of last year, this year too we are excited to host the event virtually and hope to attract a varied audience once again. We are also grateful to be supported by the Government of Telangana in its commitment to help boost the country’s gaming industry.”