Stugan Games Accelerator Announces Indie Participants and Mentors for Their 2017 Program for VR
Stugan, the nonprofit games accelerator created by notable Swedish games industry veterans, has today revealed the participants for their third annual program that takes place in a cabin in the Swedish wilderness. 15 teams comprised of a total of 26 developers have been accepted into the seven week, expenses-paid program where they will be mentored in a variety of essential industry skills ranging from design and publishing to marketing.
This year’s games offer an eclectic mix and are being designed for a diverse set of platforms. Highlights include an experimental game about a jazz band, a virtual reality (VR) game about managing a puppet theater, and a platformer where you change the world. Participants will be arriving from all corners of the globe, with creators hailing from Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Czech Republic, USA, UK, Denmark and even Sweden itself.
“The third year of Stugan is our biggest yet,” said Stugan manager Jana Palm. “We received a staggering number of applicants that highlighted the very best in indie games development. It was hard to narrow our choice down to just 15 teams, but we’re confident that we’ve selected the participants who will benefit most from what Stugan has to offer. Once the summer concludes, these teams will have everything they need to set out into the wider games industry and expand their mark.”
Interest in Stugan has continued to grow year over year since its 2015 debut, with more applications for this year’s program than ever before. There was a 20 percent increase in applications, which were received from 53 countries – with particular growth seen among virtual reality (VR) projects. Of the 15 projects accepted into the program, two are from teams working exclusively in VR. Stugan has also seen an increase in the number of applications from female game developers this year, showcasing the strength that independent games find in diversity.
Stugan also announced a new element to its program centered around sponsored teams, where prominent game studio publishers sponsor one of their portfolio team’s participation in the accelerator. The sponsoring companies will provide not only monetary support for the entire program, but also mentoring from their top talent. 2017 sponsored teams will be represented by Raw Fury and Coffee Stain Studios.
Stugan’s 2017 edition of their games accelerator will run from June 26 until August 12 and will provide support, skills development, and a sense of community to its 15 participating teams over those weeks and beyond. Stugan is steered by top talent in the Swedish games industry, including individuals from DICE, King, Mojang, Resolution Games, Snowprint Studios and others. Past mentors like Rami Ismail (Vlambeer), Tommy Palm (Resolution Games) and Oskar Burman (Fast Travel Games) will be joined by key members from Oculus, Supercell, Raw Fury, Coffee Stain Studios and others.
About Stugan:
Stugan is a non-profit organization that organizes the annual accelerator program for aspiring game developers. The word Stugan means “the cabin” in Swedish and is also a throwback to the name of the first Swedish commercial computer game made in 1978. Stugan leverages the expertise of the established Swedish game industry and aims to provide opportunities for shepherding up-and-coming game designers and developers through development, publishing, marketing and more for ensuring a successful games launch. Stugan is supported by individuals including Oskar Burman, CEO and co-founder of Fast Travel Games and Tommy Palm, CEO and co-founder of Resolution Games. For more information visit www.stugan.com, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stuga
