The 2009 Independent Games Festival Mobile Opens Call for SubmissionsSecond Annual Showcase for Independent Mobile Games Returns to the GDC with $20,000 in Prizes and New Awards to Encourage Innovation on Mobile PlatformsPRNewswire SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Games Festival (IGF) Mobile, the premiere venue that celebrates creativity and innovation on handheld platforms, has opened submissions for this year's festival, taking place during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2009 next March. Following the success of the first IGF Mobile, the second year of the festival will feature independently developed handheld games for all mobile devices including cell phones, Apple's iPhone, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, and Windows Mobile devices. The competition will include a new category for developers to pitch new ideas at the GDC Mobile-hosted award ceremony. IGF Mobile submissions are being accepted at http://www.igfmobile.com/ through November 17, 2008; finalists will be announced in January 2009. NVIDIA, manufacturer of the Tegra family of applications processors for mobile devices returns this year as a Founding and Platinum Sponsor. In keeping with the company's philosophy of encouraging and fostering innovation in mobile game development, the company will support "The Next Great Mobile Game" competition. This prize category, in a change from the traditional awards, will be accepting five finalists on the basis of a written pitch and an in-progress prototype. The finalists will pitch their product in detail and show completed prototypes at the IGF Mobile Awards, where an audience of peers will select the winner. The new award joins returning categories such as the $10,000 Best Game award, Innovation in Mobile Game Design, and the awards for audio, art direction, design and technology. Finalist games, displayed in the IGF Mobile Pavilion at the Game Developers Conference in March 2009, will compete for $20,000 in prizes, including awards for innovation and execution in mobile game development, as well as the coveted $10,000 Grand Prize. Winners will be announced at a ceremony during GDC Mobile, and will also be showcased during the main IGF Awards, presented at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony. "The rise of rich 3D mobile devices such as the iPhone and smartphones -- as well as the PSP and DS -- are starting to make all kinds of intriguing independent gaming possibilities possible," said Mathew Kumar, Content Director, IGF Mobile. "We look forward to seeing some of the top indie handheld content that the festival will draw." Submissions to the competition are now open to all independent developers working on mobile platforms, including game development for cell phones, iPhone, PSP, DS, and other handheld devices. The important dates for IGF Mobile in 2008-2009 are as follows: August 11th, 2008 Submissions Open November 17th, 2008 Submission Deadline January 26th, 2009 Finalists Announced March 23rd-27th, 2009 Game Developers Conference 2009 March 24th, 2009 IGF Mobile Awards Ceremony March 25th-27th, 2009 IGF Mobile Pavilion @ GDC March 25th, 2009 IGF Awards Ceremony For a complete list of IGF 2008 information, please visit http://www.igfmobile.com/. The IGF Mobile staff can be reached at mkumar@gamasutra.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 (formerly the Help Desk Institute), and Dr. Dobb's Journal. Think Services is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), 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/. About United Business Media Limited (parent company) United Business Media Limited is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/ SOURCE: Think Services Game Group CONTACT: Craig Sinel, craig@fortyseven.com, or Sibel Sunar, Web site: http://www.think-services.com/ |