Press release

Indie Cup online festival announces its largest edition yet with Europe ’24, opens submissions for independent game developers

Kyiv, Ukraine – 15 April, 2024. The Indie Cup team is thrilled to announce the next edition of the festival with Indie Cup Europe’24 — a digital event designed to spotlight the most exciting upcoming games by European independent developers.

 

Indie Cup Europe’24 marks the biggest expansion of the festival since its inception in 2016. For the very first time, Indie Cup welcomes submissions from 40 European countries, including major development hubs like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Poland, and Ukraine.

 

Starting today, developers can submit their games for consideration via the Indie Cup website. Festival participation is free, with all activities hosted online.
 

Europe’24 will feature all of Indie Cup signature activities, including awards for best upcoming indie games, an online showcase of in-development projects, and jury feedback for the outstanding submissions picked as festival finalists.

 

The winners will be selected by an independent jury panel that features experts from companies like CD Projekt RED, Crytek, Remedy Entertainment, Ubisoft, ZA/UM, and more. Games nominated for any of the awards will get written feedback from the jurors. The full list of Indie Cup Europe’24 jurors will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

This edition expands the number of Indie Cup award categories to seven, with six Official Selection categories open to games in the mid to late development cycle, and the new Early Consideration voting exclusive to projects in the initial stages of creation.

 

Now in its 8th year, Indie Cup is more relevant than ever amidst economic challenges, industry-wide layoffs, and war. The festival provides independent developers with a free platform to gain visibility, receive valuable feedback, and engage with a community of peers and industry leaders.

 

Celebrate the creativity of Europe’s indie gaming scene. Join us at Indie Cup Europe’24!

 

Festival Awards Lineup
 

  1. Gameplay Excellence Award – Best overall submission of the festival

  2. Rising Star Award – Best submission made by a team of 1-5 people without a publisher

  3. Critics’ Choice Award – Best submission as selected by members of the games media

  4. Creators’ Choice Award – Best submission as selected by YouTube & Twitch creators

  5. Artistic Excellence Award – Submission with the highest standard of audio and visual design

  6. Most Experimental Game Award – Submission that pushes game design boundaries

  7. Next Big Thing Award – Best festival submission in early stages of development

 

Festival Activities
 

  • Awards for Best New Projects. Participating games are evaluated by a diverse panel of industry experts, with the winners set to receive awards, and all nominees getting feedback from the jurors.

 
  • Showcase of Upcoming Games. Developers get a chance to present their games on our website with dedicated profiles featuring trailers, screenshots, and game descriptions.

 
  • A Chance to Be Discovered. Publishers and potential investors turn to Indie Cup to discover promising titles and identify emerging developers.

 
  • Future Indie Cup Events. Participating in Indie Cup Europe’24 opens the opportunity to be featured in the next iteration of the Indie Cup sale on Steam, as well as our events on other platforms.

 

Festival Timeline

 
  • Submissions Open: 15 April – 19 May

  • Digital Showcase Opening Day: 29 May

  • First Voting Round: 24 May — 23 June

  • Nominee Announcement: 3 July

  • Second Voting Round: 28 June — 28 July

  • Winners Announcement: 1 August


About Indie Cup

Indie Cup is an online festival of upcoming indie games and one of Europe’s leading online events for independent developers. Launched by GTP Media in 2016, Indie Cup has since featured more than 2,400 games, including dozens of titles that went on to achieve commercial and critical success.

Indie Cup held five dedicated editions in 2023, focusing on projects made in Central & Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Ukraine. Indie Cup is also regularly hosting special sales on Steam and other platforms, such as Indie Cup Celebration, and the Ukrainian Games Festival.
 

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