2011 Independent Games Festival Opens Submissions, Adds Mobile Category, Expands Experimental Focus

SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2010 - The UBM TechWeb Game Network, organizer of the industry-leading Game
Developers Conference(R) events, is pleased to announce that submissions are
now open for the 2011 Independent Games Festival — to be held at GDC 2011 in
San Francisco next March.

The longest-running and highest-profile independent video game festival,
summit and showcase is now accepting entries to the 13th annual Festival,
with deadlines in the Main and Student Showcase categories by October 18th
and November 1st respectively, and finalists to be announced on January 2011.

All games selected as finalists will be available in playable form at the
IGF Pavilion on the GDC show floor, and will compete for nearly US$50,000 in
prizes, including the Nuovo Award, Excellence in Design, Art, Best Student
Game, the Audience Award and the US$20,000 Seumas McNally Grand Prize.
Winners will be announced on stage at the high-profile Independent Games
Festival Awards on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, at the Moscone Center in San
Francisco.

The Independent Games Festival Awards are held immediately before the
wider Game Developers Choice Awards (www.gamechoiceawards.com), and
both multi-thousand person attendee award shows are part of the 2011 Game
Developers Conference, taking place February 28th - March 4th, 2011. GDC 2011
also includes the 2011 Independent Games Summit
(www.indiegamesummit.com), which is entering its fifth year and offers
two days of inspiration and practical lectures and rants from the top minds
in the independent games world.

Continuing to honor the best and brightest of the indie gaming community,
the Independent Games Festival is expanding in its thirteenth year to
recognize the new opportunities open to mobile and handheld game developers.
Responding to developer feedback, games made for Apple's iPhone and iPad, the
Android operating system, Nintendo DS/DSi, PlayStation Portable, and all
handheld devices will compete in the same traditional IGF categories. They
will also be eligible for a new Best Mobile Game award, honoring innovation,
achievement and artistry in handheld gaming.

Other changes to the 2011 festival include an expanded focus on
alternative elements in independent gaming, with the number of finalists for
the IGF Nuovo Award — honoring abstract, shortform, and otherwise esoteric
'art games' — increasing from five to eight games in total.

The modifications continue to expand the Independent Game Festival's
global importance as the largest and most all-encompassing showcase of
independent game talent across the wide spectrum of artistically- and
commercially-aimed development. Notable former IGF winners include World of
Goo, Braid, Castle Crashers, Everyday Shooter, Darwinia and Audiosurf, with
IGF 2010 prizewinner Limbo a key game in Xbox Live Arcade's 'Summer of
Arcade' line-up and 2010 nominee Joe Danger a recent, acclaimed release on
PlayStation Network.

Brandon Boyer, Chairman of the IGF, said of this year's event: "Expanding
the IGF to include mobile and more artistic experiences is our way of
recognizing the constantly evolving landscape of indie game development, and
the advancement of the expression possible in the medium itself. I'm more
excited than ever to see what the indie community creates for this year's
festival, and wish all the entrants the best of luck!"

Submissions to the competition are now open to all independent game
developers; important dates for IGF 2011 are as follows:

    - June 28th, 2010 - Submissions are Open
    - October 18th, 2010 - Submission Deadline, Main Competition
    - November 1st, 2010 - Submission Deadline, Student Competition
    - January 3rd, 2011 - Finalists Announced, Main Competition
    - January 10, 2011 - Finalists Announced, Student Competition
    - February 28 - March 4, 2011 - Game Developers Conference 2011
    - February 28 - March 1, 2011 - Indie Games Summit @ GDC 2011
    - March 2 - March 4, 2011 - IGF Pavilion @ GDC 2011
    - March 2, 2011 - IGF Awards Ceremony (Winners Announced!)

For a complete list of information on the 2011 Independent Games
Festival, including submission specifics, frequently asked questions, and
more discussion on this year's changes from the IGF Chairman, please visit
the official Independent Games Festival website: www.igf.com

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network

A core provider of essential information to the professional game
industry, the UBM TechWeb Game Network - formerly known as the Think Services
Game Group - offers market-defining content, and drives community through its
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Conference(TM) Europe, the Game Developers Conference(TM) China, the Game
Developers Conference(TM) Canada, Game Developer Magazine, Game Developer
Research, the Game Career Seminars and GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent
Games Festival and Summit, and the Game Developers Choice Awards.

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    CONTACT:      Sibel Sunar / Brian Rubin
                  fortyseven communications
                  +1-323-658-1200 / +1-212-391-4707
                  sibel@fortyseven.com / brian@fortyseven.com

                  Ben Veechai / Mellisa Andrade
                  UBM TechWeb Game Network
                  +1-415-947-6280 / +1-415-947-6232
                  bveechai@think-services.com /mandrade@think-services.com

Sibel Sunar, +1-323-658-1200, sibel at fortyseven.com, or Brian Rubin, +1-212-391-4707, brian at fortyseven.com, both of fortyseven communications, for UBM TechWeb Game Network; or Ben Veechai, +1-415-947-6280, bveechai at think-services.com, or Mellisa Andrade, +1-415-947-6232, mandrade at think-services.com, both of UBM TechWeb Game Network