Indie Showcase

• Shaz Yousaf - Director, Mind Feast Games (Head Judge)

• Korina Abbott - Director and Marketing Consultant, NeonHive
• Phil Gaskell - Director, Ripstone
• Romana Ramzan - Producer, No Code Studio
• Katie Goode - Director, Triangular Pixels
• Sitara Shefta - Head of Studio, No Brakes Games
• Henry Hoffman - Founder, New Fangled Games
• Shahid Ahmed - Founder, Crescent Code

• Finalist Selection Process
  

Submitted games will be evaluated by a panel of games industry professionals appointed by Develop:Brighton. The judging panel will review all entries and select 10 finalists.

The first round of judging will be a review of the trailers and descriptions. Games chosen from the first round will then be played by members of the judging panel. The 10 finalists will be selected from those chosen. Successful finalists will be notified the w/c 2 June 2025.

The judging panel will rate each submitted game by its innovation and originality.

The 10 finalists will receive one three-day pass to Develop:Brighton, as many Expo passes as you like, pre-event publicity and a profile on the event website. Most importantly however, the finalists will be able to show off their game to all the developers, press and publishers at the event.

• Winner Selection Process
  

The 10 finalist games will be further evaluated at Develop:Brighton by the judging panel. The judges will meet during the conference to discuss the entrants and choose the Indie Showcase Winner.

Conference attendees will have the chance to select their favourite game from the Showcase by voting onsite. The game with the most votes will be announced as the People's Choice Winner.

• When are the winners announced?
  
  The Indie Showcase and People's Choice winners will be announced to press and delegates at Develop:Brighton at 5pm on Thursday 10 July 2025.
  

Any team or individual can enter as long as:

• They are an independent game developer from the UK or Europe

• There are no more than 15 people in the team

• The entered game is not published by a third party and is not fully funded by a third party
  (Please note: An exception may be made in the case where the game is published by a small publisher which itself would fit within the rules above. This is at the judges' discretion.)

• The development budget for the game must be less than £1million

• The game has been created in the “indie spirit”

• More than one game can be entered per developer
  
  

Attending Develop:Brighton is Required

• If your game is shortlisted you will be required to demo your game within the Showcase area during Expo hours on 9 and 10 of July

• We will provide a table and chairs and supply WiFI connection, but you will need to supply your own monitor, PC/console and anything else you need to demo your game

• Please make sure your area is manned at all times
  (If you need to hire any kit just email Ali Fearnley: ali@tandemevents.co.uk)

Your Game

• The game must be your game, made by yourself and your team. We are not looking for publishers to enter titles.

• The game can be in any stage of development from prototype to release.

• If the game has been released it must have been released no earlier than 30 November 2024

• More than one game can be entered per developer.
  

The Submission Process

• If your game is complicated and you want to make sure that judges understand and play it correctly then you can attach a video link and any other background information to your submission form.

• Once you’ve submitted your game we cannot accept any updates

• Your submitted game can run on any of these platforms: PC, console, web, mobile/tablet/handheld or VR platforms

• Games for the following VR platforms can be submitted: SteamVR (HTC Vive / Valve Index or Equivalent), Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Rift S, PlayStation VR, Apple Vision Pro

• If your game is to be released on both iOS and Android, then all being equal Android submissions would be preferred

• For iOS games, Testflight is the preferred method of submission. For distribution via Apple Testflight please include a public Testflight link in your submission. The submitted download link must be active for the duration of the judging period, until 30 May 2025

• If submitting via a download link, the download link must be available throughout the judging period until 30 May 2025

• The submissions deadline is final – nothing received after 23:59 PST 2 May 2025 will be considered for the Indie Showcase

Below are examples of teams and projects that we would like to see enter. It’s not exhaustive, so if you’re an indie team from the UK or Europe with an innovative game you are more than welcome to enter!

• You have a playable prototype that shows off great core mechanics, but you are still looking looking for collaborators e.g. for sound or graphics
  

• You have a vertical-slice that gives a good representation of what the finished experience will be like, and are looking for partners or funding to develop the bulk of the content
  

• You have a finished game ready to be released and are looking for help with promotion or a publisher

• You released your game recently (after 30 Nov 2024) and you want to show it off to the wider industry

• The Indie Showcase is only open to businesses and individuals who are 18 years or older and based in the UK or Europe only
• The submitted game must be created in the 'indie spirit' by an independent game developer, Develop:Brighton reserves the right to refuse any game at its sole discretion
• Before submitting a game, the entrant must have obtained the written permission of all persons or entities having any rights in the entered Game
• If submitting via a download link, studios are responsible for the security of the link and password protection of files
  Game updates are not permitted once a game has been submitted
• All entrants must have acceptable licences in place for all middleware, game engines, software and technology utilised in the games creation
• By completing an entry form all entrants thereby agree that all information supplied can be used for promotional purposes
  Each finalist will be responsible for their own travel costs, meals, accommodation, and any other associated costs
  Any individual finalist who is unable to attend may officially nominate a proxy attendee.
• Develop:Brighton reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Indie Showcase Submissions at its sole discretion
• The Judges decision is final and cannot be appealed against
  Any information or materials submitted via the entry form may be used for promotional purposes if your game is shortlisted
  
  Please note: The indie Showcase is a face to face opportunity to show off your game to Develop:Brighton attendees. You should only enter if you know that you (or a colleague) will be able to attend and demo your game in person. We expect all shortlisted teams to attend.