Deadline for Indie Game Challenge extended until Oct 31

The entry deadline for the Indie Game Challenge has been extended from October 1 to October 31, its organisers have announced.

The competition, run by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Gamestop and The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University and launched in July, encourages professional and non-professional game developers to submit game betas and videos of pitches in the hope of winning a USD 100,000 grand prize.

"Since we announced the kick-off of the Indie Game Challenge on July 15, the response from the development community has exceeded our expectations," said Joseph Olin, president of AIAS. "However, a consistent request we heard from developers is that they want more time to create and refine their betas and pitch videos in order to create the highest-quality entries possible.

"Given that the overall goal of this inaugural competition is to allow as many people as possible to participate, the three partners agreed that extending the contest period a month makes perfect sense. We're confident the AIAS's panel of judges will have more than enough time to review and evaluate each entry on its own merits to ensure the best of the best is duly rewarded."

This reward comes from a pot of prize money and scholarships totalling USD 300,000 in value, with a USD 100,000 prize for one winner, and the opportunity for 12 finalists to attend Las Vegas summit D.I.C.E and pitch their game idea to execs from a range of leading publishers.

"Even more important for the finalists is the exposure they will receive," added Mike Hogan, Gamestop's senior vice president of marketing. "Their pitch videos will be posted on Gamestop.com and Gamestop TV where they will be seen by millions of people and be eligible for additional prize money and People's Choice Award voting. For aspiring game developers, such visibility is priceless."