A paint-tastic roguelite shooter where you embark on a quest to become the greatest artist in the world and battle famous works of art. The battlefield is your canvas, the enemies are your paint. Literally. Each level you beat becomes a unique work of art that you get to keep.

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INDIKA tells the story of a young nun who sets off on a journey of self-discovery with the most unusual companion by her side, the devil himself. Join Studio Head Dmitry Svetlow as he explores alternate 19th-century Russia in this visually captivating and narratively gripping story in one of the most memorable games of the year.

Botany Manor is a first-person puzzle game set in a Victorian English manor. You play as its inhabitant Arabella Greene, a retired botanist. Explore your house and gardens, filled with botanical research, to figure out the ideal habitat for a collection of forgotten flora. Grow each plant to discover the mysterious qualities they hold…

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This is a Lovecraftian horror, Point and Click adventure game. Ed broke the curfew to visit his friends in order to find out the truth of his granddaughter's disappearance, but the truth was far more terrible than he thought...

Game Features:
- Black and white hand-painted art, set in the 70s of a parallel universe.
- You have a Keeper with you throughout the game.
- Using your "Awake" to explore the secrets hidden within.
- Illustrations of character or object closeups are used in the conversations. Observe carefully, and you may discover something useful.

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Delve into the enchanting world of Tamriel with Rich Lambert, the visionary Game Director behind the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Elder Scrolls Online (ESO). Discover the intricate storytelling, dynamic world-building, and innovative gameplay mechanics that have captivated millions of players worldwide. Gain exclusive insights into the development process of ESO, and learn how the team at ZeniMax Online Studios brings this vast, immersive universe to life.

Join us for an enlightening panel discussion delving into the intricate world of character creation in video games, with a spotlight on how video games can empower the identity of underrepresented groups. From the binary constraints of traditional narratives to the boundless possibilities of inclusive storytelling, our diverse panel of experts will explore the evolving landscape of representation. Dive deep into the challenges, triumphs, and ethical considerations surrounding the portrayal of diverse characters in gaming, as we strive to foster empathy, understanding, and empowerment within virtual worlds. Discover how thoughtful design and narrative choices can pave the way for richer, more authentic gaming experiences for all players.

Dust off your hat, shine up your spurs, and finally justify to yourself why you own those chaps. It’s time to saddle up for an evening of western games at the Cowboy Games Showcase. Banned phrases include: “Rootin’-tootin,” “There’s a snake in my boot” and “It’s really more of a neo-noir with classic western aesthetics

Let your empathy guide you as you play an exciting action-adventure, creature-saver game. Understand and tame the creatures of Ava and let them lead you through a variety of ecosystems – all in the hopes of saving the planet from a life-consuming infection.

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Dungeon Inn is a turn-based strategy game in which you run an inn called 'Dungeon Inn' between two guilds that hate each other.

The player takes on the role of 'Sara', the owner of the inn, and has to grow the inn by welcoming adventures from both guilds as guests, while being careful not to reveal the inn's dual business.

Let's try out different gimmicks to attract dungeon-bound adventurers to your inn, solve various problems in and around the inn, and make a fortune without getting caught.

“Who cares if they’re rivals? As long as we don’t get caught!”

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Fishbowl is a heartfelt coming of age story told over a month where you unpack puzzles to rediscover childhood memories, video call loved ones, work from home while taking care of yourself and chores, to figure out life one day at a time.

Twenty-one year old Alo gets her first job in a new city and is living by herself while grieving her grandma’s death, the choices she makes each day will lead to a unique journey of self discovery.

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Join us at the SXSW Sydney Game and Screen Awards for an evening of entertainment, karaoke, and recognition as we honor the best filmmakers and game developers of 2024. Celebrate the excellence in this year's screen and games program!

Awards Include:

Game
- Best International Game
- Best Student Game
- Best Tabletop Game
- People's Choice Award
- Discovery Award
- Game of the Year

Screen
- Best Feature Film
- Best Short Film
- Best Episodic
- Best Music Video
- Best XR
- Best Student
- Audience Award

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Celebrate the launch of SXSW Sydney Games Festival at the Opening Night Party on Wednesday 16 October. Connect with developers, creators and games industry professionals at the iconic Abercrombie.

Welcome to the farm, where the sun is hot, the grass is green, and the horses are waiting for you. But as the sun sets, and shadows creep across the land, the tranquility fades, and the farm's facade begins to crumble. Join solo game developer Andrea Lucco Borlera and Pietro Righi Riva from Italy-based studio Santa Ragione as he traverses one of the most exciting and  bizarre games of the year HORSES.

Chances are, you have one or more relationships with virtual characters in your life today, but perhaps you don’t think of them that way. Teddy Dief - Co-Designer of Hyper Light Drifter & Game Director of We Are OFK, will walk through how virtual identity has progressed since the 1960s across television, music, games, and VTubers. Then they will dive into the meat of how the virtual band OFK was conceived and constructed. The design pillars, techniques, and social priorities of Team OFK as it operated during the creation of the We Are OFK game, and how it continues to operate as a band. Learn how a game may have the opportunity, and the challenges, of virtual characters and parasocial relationship design. Learn how to do it, how you can go horribly wrong, how you can harm people, and how, instead, you may help them.

‘Kusan : City of Wolves’ is a hardcore top-down shooter set in the bloody port city of Asia in the near future.

In Kusan, a light shining in darkness may be the gunfire of your enemies.
In this city, you can become an expert in unarmed combat, daggers, and various weaponry through countless fights and deaths.
Sharpen your skills, invest in them, and let the bodies hit the floor before yours hits first.

Protect the girl. Confront the will of your fallen comrades. You are faster and stronger than any beast in 'Kusan.'

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Amidst the ruins of a post-apocalyptic Japan, genetically re-engineered dinosaurs have survived humans and become the dominant species. Ancient primal instincts ignite modern tribal wars, and the ultimate survivors must navigate a world where the balance of power has shifted in ways no one could have foreseen.

Currently, we're starting development on a protype to be a strong narrative driven game. Cineplay is a concept within Floating Rock's vision- where 2 different mediums have strong narratives to stand independently, meanwhile having plot points that overlap, offering different perspectives within the world.

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India is the second largest active gaming market in the world. WIth nearly 10 billion gaming app downloads in 2023, India dominates the mobile games market industry. However with the rise of PC and console gaming, creators across India are flourishing in new frontiers of game development. Join speakers from Niku Games, GameChangersIndia and imissmyfriends.studio as they discuss the changing markets in India and the growth of the indie games community.

Join our panel of crowdfunding experts as they discuss how they successfully navigated the complexities of launching, managing, marketing and following through on the promises of crowdfunding campaigns. Learn from the experts across digital and tabletop industries as they share their experiences running successful campaigns.

The Midnighters program encompasses work that delves into dark, eerie, humorous, provocative and controversial territory. Midnighters caters to an audience that seeks out the strange and the unknown, often featuring a curated selection of outsider perspectives and narratives that challenge mainstream conventions. A selection of screenings, hands-on games and commentary sessions, our Thursday night Midnighters Screen Showcase is a special celebration of bold and unconventional media, tailored to those who revel in the unexpected.

Pie in the Sky is an old-school arcade, action game/simulation where you play as an Australian magpie, stealing food, swooping people and completing objectives to cause as much chaos as possible. Dripping with early 2000's aesthetics and charm coupled with more Australian content than you can shake a sauce bottle at, Pie in the Sky is a pick up and play, mischievous and chaotic, avian adventure!

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Raw Metal is an upcoming action stealth game which combines a top-down infiltration perspective with third-person beat-em-up combat.  You play as a lone scavenger infiltrating an Orpheus mining facility on the exoplanet Charybdis, stealing whatever you can find. The deeper you dig, however, the darker the corporation’s secrets are revealed to be.  With cues from extraction type games, players risk their gear the deeper they get, however rewards get evermore profitable.

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Saddle up for Ricochet Rodeo, a 2D-platform, pvp brawl to see who's the fastest shooter in the pixel-rendered west. Assemble a posse of up to 8 cowboys to dance in chaotic deathmatches where bullets bounce and 1 hit kills.

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When Miho steps into the pantry to get a potato for his grandmothers' soup, he's pulled into a distant fantastical land where he must retrace the steps of a mysterious great traveler before him.

He must venture through a world of endless deserts, floating mountains, and talking beasts, outsmarting thieves and meeting quirky characters along the way.

But each time he returns to the kitchen with an ingredient, he finds things have changed in unexpected ways…

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Despite record profits and an emerging transmedia boom, the games industry is falling apart. Industry consolidation and the production of projects "too big to fail" has exposed the medium to widespread risk rather than safety--and by all indications, this escalation will only become worse in the coming years. In this talk, Strange Scaffold studio head Xalavier Nelson Jr. (El Paso, Elsewhere, Life Eater, Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator) discusses how he's built a game studio to survive this investment climate--and how attendees are uniquely empowered to do the same with holistic production methodologies and a focus on long-term sustainability.

Join acclaimed actor, developer and game director Abubakar Salim as he explores the universe of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. Inspired by Bantu tales and rich with untold lore of chaos and order, ZAU follows the story of a young shaman who must face three mighty beasts to save his father. Prior to launching his new studio, Surgent Studios, Abubakar lent his voice to lead character Bayek of Siwa in Assassin's Creed: Origins, Eros in Stray Gods and Rokhan in the World of Warcraft franchise. He also appears in the latest season of House of the Dragon as Alyn of Hull.

The Diner at the End of the Galaxy is a resource management game that tasks players with managing a diner in space and navigating the politics of the interstellar factions that frequent the diner. Players must source and grow exotic ingredients, craft dishes, craft diner components from resources, and manage relationships with their clientele. This game combines strategic resource management with diplomacy elements to deliver something mechanically complex and challenging for players, while presenting a unique setting and characters.

A heartfelt story of ambition, struggle, and friendship told from the perspective of a young boy in fictional 90s rural India. Explore ancient palace ruins, set up your garden, cook Indian food, run errands for quirky characters, and learn about your history by making art.

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Learn from leading indie publishers as they discuss the latest trends in the games industry.  Participate in focused conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing the ever changing landscape of games publishing. Join leaders from Kwalee, Raw Fury, Santa Ragione, CRITICAL REFLEX and Astra Logical as they deep dive into scouting, selection strategies and their unique publishing methods.

Join us for a silly exploration of bugs and glitches from our detective adventure / dating game ShelfLife: Art School Detective! ShelfLife has been a project long in the making, which means dormant entities lurk in our project files. We will be discussing how ShelfLife: Art School Detective has evolved from "walking simulator" to "queer art school mystery romcom" -- and which forgotten features became vestigial along the way! We'll share insight into our project, exploring how necessary evolution in our game design guided us to a clear vision. What happens when we visit forgotten areas from an ancient prototype? How does our current build cope when we reintroduce deprecated systems? This session will explore the iterative (sometimes chaotic) nature of indie game development.

A cosy-punk slice-of-life narrative sim about managing a struggling record store. Chat to quirky customers with unique tastes, explore a handcrafted record collection, fall in love with bands (and their drama!), or just slack off with your colleagues - all to restore the groove!

Wax Heads is a game with:  

- Gorgeous comic book art style including 50+ hand drawn records and customers
- Punchy, humorous and affectionate dialogue
- An emotional, uplifting narrative about community, mystery and underdog spirit!
- A lovingly handcrafted, immersive musical world with cozy-punk vibes
- Charming puzzle design
- Mini games... and Tamagotchis! 🥚
- Killer original soundtrack

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Are you a game developer frustrated by the outdated and cumbersome Australian games classification system? You're not alone. Join industry experts and fellow developers to delve into the intricacies of this challenging framework. Discover the historical reasons behind its complexities and learn practical strategies to navigate and work around its limitations. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and make your development process smoother and more efficient.