GAMESTOP, THE GUILDHALL AT SMU AND THE ACADEMY OF INTERACTIVE ARTS & SCIENCES LAUNCH INDIE GAME CHALLENGE

Contest Provides Aspiring Video Game Developers a “Life Changing” Opportunity to Showcase their Skills, Meet Top Game Publishers, Compete for Almost $300,000 in Prizes

The Challenge is designed to be the preeminent competition for video game developers by offering winners almost $300,000 in prize monies and scholarships, including $100,000 grand prize awards for both the winning professional and non-professional games. In addition, finalists will receive national exposure and be eligible for additional prize money by having their pitch videos posted on GameStop.com and GameStop TV for People’s Choice Award voting. Complete entry and contest details are available at www.indiegamechallenge.com.

Professional and non-professional individuals or teams are asked to
submit game betas and game pitch videos between July 14 and Oct. 1, 2009. Judging will be conducted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Up to 12 finalist teams will be announced on or about Jan. 15, 2010, and up to five members of each finalist team will be flown to an awards reception Feb. 19, 2010, at the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa in Las Vegas following AIAS’s D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit. D.I.C.E. is an annual conference dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment.

In addition to the awards presentation, each finalist team will receive
the unique opportunity to pitch their game ideas face-to-face to executives from top publishers such as Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Capcom, Microsoft, NAMCO/Bandai, THQ and Ubisoft. These meetings will allow competitors to receive valuable input and have the opportunity to open up commercial avenues for their games.

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