Ubisoft said it will showcase 13 indie game studios at the virtual Gamescom event through its Ubisoft Entrepreneurs program. Gamescom normally draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cologne, Germany, but this year the audience will be all virtual.
Gamescom takes place from August 27 to August 30, and the 13 indie game studios from Canada and Germany will be on display at the Indie Arena Booth Online 2020 digital event.
With Ubisoft Entrepreneurs, the French video game giant supports “techno-creative” startups and initiatives in gaming and entertainment. Founded in 2017, Ubisoft Entrepreneurs has supported hundreds of indie studios in learning exchanges, equity, funding, and access to resources.
Winners from the 2019 and 2020 editions of the Ubisoft Indie Series in Ontario will present their work. The Ubisoft Indie Series in Ontario and Quebec is an annual competition for independent game development studios, offering cash prizes and mentorship from Ubisoft experts to help with development and personalized financial diagnosis.
Gloam won the 2019 edition with a turn-based battle game, Bravery Network Online, which should hit PC this year. The 2020 winner Vivid Foundry studio impressed the Ubisoft judges with its game Solace State, scheduled for a 2021 launch on the PC.
The German winner of the Newcomer Award 2019 for best startup, Rivers and Wine Studios, will also introduce its portfolio at the Indie Arena Booth. Ubisoft has sponsored the Newcomer Award in Germany, and it’s awarded annually as part of the “Deutsche Entwicklerpreis” (German Developer Award).
Indie Arena Booth will have 185 indie game startups from 51 countries in a shared developer area. The initiative offers opportunities for independent game developers to showcase their games by attending multiple conventions.
In July, Ubisoft Entrepreneurs also collaborated on the third edition of The Caravan, an initiative in support of independent video game studios in Quebec, where 10 indie studios have been selected to be featured on the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs space at the Indie Arena Booth.
Ten Quebec studios
The 10 studios from Quebec are producing these projects:
Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab is the interface between Ubisoft’s game developers and entrepreneurs, supporting startups globally via gaming and entertainment programs at the Station F incubator in Paris and Pixel in Singapore.
