Taipei Game Show Leads Taiwan Indie Game Developers to join BIC Fest in Busan
Five Taiwanese Game Titles Selected to the Exhibition
Led by Taipei Computer Association, independent game developers 7Quark, Manacell, Erotes Studio, Narwhal.GT, and Red Candle Games headed for South Korea to attend the Busan Indie Connect Festival on 9th September. Taiwanese teams that had emerged from the field of over 200 games from all around the world also competed for the grand prize, BIC Award.
Taipei Game Show Featuring VR Game Showcase
The second edition of Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC Fest) took place from September 9 to 11 at Busan Cinema Center. According to the organizer Busan IT Promotion Agency, “the event has received as many as 200 submissions by worldwide independent developers, and selected 91 outstanding games to be featured at the exhibition. These games are the brainchildren of game developers from 14 different countries, including Taiwan, Japan, India, U.K., and U.S.” The game expo showcased contents across various platforms such as PC, mobile devices, home video game console, and VR. Among all, five Taiwanese games have made it to the final at this year’s BIC Fest, including mobile games “Mr. Catt,” “Space Cycler,” and “HeroG,” as well as PC games “Blue Blood Lagoon,” and “Detention.”
“Mr. Catt” developed by indie team 7Quark features unique design and style of the cat and the starry sky; It is an engaging innovative puzzle game, combining distinct gameplay with its music recognized by Bahamut ACG Award. The game “Space Cycler,” produced by 2-man indie game team “Manacell,” is a 2D tunnel shooter game with 1-2 player local co-op, providing unparalleled thrill no matter it is played by two players or just one player on the same device. “HeroG” produced by Narwhal.GT features a worldview based on Nordic mythology. The team uses cute, healing art and humorous plot to create a side-scrolling game that combines chicken nurturing, item collection, and adventure reaction.
“Erotes Studio,” the developer of “Rainy Port Keelung” that won the Gold Prize at 2014 Game Star in the best domestic game category, launches new text adventure “Blue Blood Lagoon.” The new title tells a story of youth and romance during the Chinese Civil War. Delicate character design and rich historical narrative shall ignite players’ adventurous spirit. “Detention” produced by “Red Candle Games” is also set in historical Taiwan, and is a survival horror game that takes place in school during the martial law period. The story centers around two pairs of teenage boys’ and girls’ encounter and adventure in school, presenting a tale of the fight against the system in the 1960s.
The aforementioned five independent games each showcased its unconventional style, and had all generated big buzz at this year’s Taipei Game Show. The “B2B Zone” and “Indie Game Festa” at Taipei Game Show 2016 saw participation from 221 game companies and indie teams from 22 countries, as well as buyers from nearly 30 countries. The 2-day event facilitated opportunities for international cooperation, and has now established itself as one of the most important business platforms for the game industry in Asia-Pacific region. Next year, the Taipei Game Show 2017 will be held from January 19 to 20, and is now accepting submissions for qualification review. Application ends October 15, 2016.
