Plug In Digital launches Indie Rise, the New Talents Awards!

INDIE RISE, New Talents Awards by Plug In Digital comes to meet the talents of Indonesia.

Plug In Digital launches Indie Rise, a brand new game pitching competition for new talents from rising countries. The first editions will be dedicated to Indonesian games creators as part of a partnership with IFI & IGDX. Applications will be open from September 8 until October 7, ending with a live prize-giving ceremony during the video game event in Indonesia.

Plug In Digital announces its new project.

The French video game expert Plug In Digital announces its ambition to discover, highlight and support the development of the gaming industry worldwide. This year and for the first time, the distributor and publisher is launching INDIE RISE : New Talents Awards, its own pitch competition for talents emerging in the new video game territories.

Convinced by the skills and creativity of development studios in Indonesia, Plug In Digital wishes to kick off its Awards in the country. Approached in 2021 to speak at Indonesia Game Developer Exchange (IGDX), Plug In Digital has this year made the event its No. 1 partner. The awards ceremony will be held live during the event from October 15 to 17, offering winners $10,000 in cash prizes to help fund their projects.

INDIE RISE, an emerging pitch competition.

The first edition of INDIE RISE, The New Talents Awards will take the form of a pitch competition, open to all independent Indonesian creators who wish to show an upcoming, or ongoing project, matching simple criterias. The project should be premium PC or Console games with a strong single player content. The participation rules can be found in detail on indierise.games, but Plug In Digital assures that all development stages are welcome.

Game developers can submit their projects from now on until October 7, to be eligible for three awards: Best Project, Jury’s Choice and New Challenger. The Jury is composed of Guillaume Jamet (VP Head of Publishing at Plug In Digital), Mathieu Van Kemenade (Strategy & Business Development Manager at Plug In Digital), Rachmad Imron (CEO of Digital Happiness), and Riris Marpaung (CEO of GameChanger Studio). Their mission will be to rate the games on the basis of clear and fair criterias. Winners will be provided with financial support, for the studios to continue their development in the best possible creativity.

If a project is highly appreciated by the jury of Plug In Digital, a publishing contract with one of their labels, PID Games or Dear Villagers, may also be offered to the studio.

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The meaningul choice of Indonesia.

Thanks to Asosiasi Game Indonesia (AGI), the French Embassy in Indonesia and the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, but also partners studios, Plug In Digital has indentified Indonesia as a country rich of many talents.

“The government sees the huge potential of the gaming industry market in Indonesia to be developed further. Kominfo through the Indonesia Game Developer Exchange activities seeks to encourage this potential by increasing the capabilities of game developers, channeling superior talent to meet industry needs, as well as opening access to funding and potential for business cooperation. We collaborate and invite more stakeholders to participate in advancing the game industry. With the Indie Rise Awards at the IGDX Conference, we hope that this award can be an appreciation that motivates Indonesian game developers to be able to compete in local and global markets. »

-Semuel Pangerapan, Director General of Application Informatics, Ministry of Communications and Informatics

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In partnership with AGI and the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Informatics, the very first edition of Indie Rise join forces with Indonesia Game Developer Exchange (IGDX), that will host the prize giving ceremony in Bali on October 15, 4:30pm (UTC+8).

“Every year, the gaming industry continues to evolve significantly. New breakthroughs in technology, tools and next-generation platforms and powerful infrastructure, allow developers to translate their creativity more freely than ever before. Competitions like Indie Rise are a great way to encourage these developers to pursue the creations of their dreams and dare to make bigger games. We are very happy that Plug In Digital sees the potential of Indonesian developers, and hope this activity can bring more great games made in Indonesia to the world.”

– Cipto Adiguno, President of Asosiasi Game Indonesia

Over the coming months, Plug In Digital is thinking larger and plans to bring INDIE RISE to other territories, conducive to the evolution of the video game industry, and where the company wishes to allow studios to serenely start their projects.