Activision’s Second Indie Game Competition Begins

By Ryan Fleming October 4, 2011

For the second year in a row, Activision has announced that it will play host to a competition for independent game developers, and it is currently accepting submissions.

The competition is open to all developers headquartered in the United States. Submissions will be accepted until December 31, 2011, and all entries will remain the property of the creators. A full list of rules can be found here: http://www.activision.com/IndependentGamesCompetition.

The competition will be judged by IndieCade, one of the largest independent game communities around.

“Working with IndieCade is allowing Activision to bring our message of support directly to the community,” Dave Stohl, Executive Vice President of Studios, Activision said. “The programs IndieCade offers — conferences, awards and the annual IndieCade Festival, a celebration of independent studio success – touch the community core.”

The winner will receive $175,000, while the second place winners will receive $75,000 for the development of their games.

“This competition underscores Activision’s commitment to fostering creativity in the independent development community,” Stohl said. “Many of us began our careers as indies, so we are very proud to offer this kind of support and encouragement to a couple of the industry’s young visionaries.”

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

Gaming

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is out to eliminate mobile gaming’s stigma

Gameplay from Call of Duty: Warzone mobile

Activision may be under new ownership at Xbox, but that’s not slowing down its flagship series. After a few years in development, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is finally launching worldwide under the Microsoft banner. It’s a major moment for the shooter series that’s endured multiple industry changes over its long lineage. The new mobile game is the latest evolution for Call of Duty, bringing a high-quality battle royale experience to phones.

The importance of that evolution isn’t lost on Chris Plummer, the co-head of mobile at Activision. In an interview with Digital Trends ahead of Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile’s launch, Plummer painted a picture of how much has changed in the game industry since Call of Duty Mobile launched in 2019. An industry-shifting war between Epic Games and Apple, an enormous acquisition that’s turned Xbox into a mobile king, and a gradual shift in the general attitude towards mobile games -- all of that has led to this moment. Plummer believes that the old days of players bemoaning cash-grab mobile games are coming to an end. The industry just needed its killer app; he believes Warzone Mobile could be that game.

Gaming

Xbox Game Pass gets its first Activision Blizzard game very soon

xbox game pass march games diablo 4 iv

Microsoft unveiled the batch of titles coming to its gaming subscription service throughout the back half of March. Quite a few awesome titles are making their way to the service, but by far, the most notable addition is Diablo IV, the first Activision Blizzard game being made available on Xbox Game Pass.

Diablo IV was released in June 2023, just a few months before Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. It's the latest entry in a long-running isometric RPG series, and it retains the same engaging dungeon design, deep progression systems, and captivating loot loop that makes games in this franchise special. People have been wondering when Activision Blizzard games would arrive on Xbox Game Pass in the months since the acquisition process was completed, and Diablo IV was finally confirmed to be coming to the service on March 28 last month.

Gaming

If you love retro games, you need to check out this killer Mega Man throwback

The characters of Berserk Boy pose together.

Every year, like clockwork, I end up playing one retro-style 2D game that gets its hooks in me. It's not that I harbor a lot of nostalgia for the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis; it's just that indie developers have gotten very good at both replicating and modernizing the fun of old-school platformers. So far in the 2020s, I've had a blast with Cyber Shadow, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, and now, Berserk Boy.

The debut title from the aptly named BerserkBoy Games, the new retro release is a throwback to classic Mega Man games -- something that's probably clear from its title alone. In it, players shoot their way through colorful 2D stages filled with evil robots, platforming challenges, and special abilities that can help make mincemeat out of bosses. Sound familiar?