NORDIC GAME DISCOVERY CONTEST

Nordic Game Discovery Contest Season V

Building on seventeen years of organizing successful games industry activities, including the annual Nordic Game conference and exhibition, regional funding programs, overseas networking events and other developer support initiatives, we introduced the Nordic Game Discovery Contest (NGDC) in 2016 – an exciting, competitive challenge where selected game projects are showcased live in pitch competitions at partner events across the world.

Now in our fifth season, the unique contest format has been established – instead of just pitching a game the traditional way, contestants compete live in an entertaining online, round-based battle for points. Submit your game right here:

https://forms.gle/gGr7qSAkU1ordER1A

Deadline is 21st September, 11.59PM Central Europe Time!

Contest format & rules:

A) The contestants chosen through the submission process will meet online in a live contest, divided in to the following rounds:

Intro Round: Each contestant has to present themselves, their studio, and their game.

Game Round: Each contestant has to answer questions from the judges about the presented game. These can be technical, about the gameplay, or even personal.

Examples:

1. “What is most unique about your game”?
2. “What are you inspired by”?
3. “What part of yourself has been put into the game”?

Reality Round: Contestants answer questions about the realities surrounding the game. These can be about economics, but also personal about yourself and your team.

Examples:

1. “What is your biggest strength as a team?” (objective),
2. “Why did you form the studio in the first place”? (slightly personal),
3. “What are your biggest dreams for your studio?” (very personal)

Final Chance Round: Contestants show a final piece of material in a last effort to sway the judges. Any material (per-prepared) may be show on screen (images, videos, GIF, screen dumps etc.) after which the audience is asked to cheer.

B) After each round, the judges will give points to the contestant who made the best impression. After the final round, a winner is found and celebrated.

C) As part of entering the competition contestants have to submit the following material via the submission form:

Game logo – A postcard format logo. Used in the presentation.

Game Trailer – A 1 minute trailer showing in-game footage from the game in development.

D) If the submitter is chosen as a contestant, the following material have to be submitted as well:

“Behind the scenes” video – A 30-second mobile phone camera “studio tour” (e.g. walk through studio and wave at people, filming interesting stuff while talking).

“Final Chance” Material – One (1) piece of material (gif, video, screenshots, art etc.) used for showcasing the game in the final round, and a last chance of swaying the judges. Maximum length 30 seconds.

Important notes

The judges will look at the material submitted by the contestants, so be sure that you cover the basics there, such as: What’s the concept or purpose of the game? Which features make your game unique? What’s your game’s business model, and why?

Also make sure to deliver all the basic, “hard facts” about your game, like format, present development state, control method, USP etc.

On-stage, the judges will look at your stage performance, how you present your game, and they will ask you questions based on the material submitted.

Application

To apply, complete the following application form and send it to us at Nordic Game:

https://forms.gle/gGr7qSAkU1ordER1A

Deadline is 21 September.

A) The application form must be used and submitted in English.

B) No parts of the form may be removed or reformatted.

C) The application must be submitted to Nordic Game before the given deadline.

D) The applicant must own or control the intellectual property rights to the game submitted.

E) You will receive a confirmation email one week prior to the event if you’ve made the cut.

Important notes:

Games on any platform, developed by any company or single person can participate, but:

• Only one person can go online and participate in the contest.
• You must have a working demo of your game to show.
• No illegal or plagiarized content in your game (such as trademarked content, etc.).
• Your company is financially stable (no threat of liquidation or bankruptcy exists).

All submitted projects will be reviewed. The selected projects will be informed directly in the weeks following the application deadline, including further instructions regarding the event.

Good luck!

NGDC Background

Structure

NGDC partners with regional games industry events across Europe and abroad throughout the year to discover the most promising games with the best potential for becoming global hits. These “qualifying round” winners go on to compete for “Game of the Year” in the NGDC Finals at the Nordic Game conference.

Developers, why should you participate?

With thousands of new titles released each year, the competition to get noticed is fiercer than ever. Joining the NGDC gives you a shot at getting your game discovered. Just by submitting your game to the contest, a string of experts – publishers, investors, journalists, prominent game designers and other industry profiles – will see your work. Should your team be chosen to pitch live on-stage, you’ll be sure to attract the attention of industry professionals in the audience as well.

In both the NGDC qualifiers and finals, you’ll pitch your game to an expert jury on stage before a live audience. In an exciting, round-based format, you will compete live against three other contestants, presenting your game and answering questions from the jury. If you can beat your opponents and rack-up the biggest score, you’ll be declared winner of the qualifying round – and go on to the NGDC Finals at NG21+, 2-7 November. If you take the final “Game of the Year” award in Malmö, you’ll also win some nice prizes and extend your visibility globally.

Wildcards

For developers not able to join events on the NGDC tour, a number of wildcards will once again be chosen through an online submission process (details for NGDC Season V to be announced).

Venue

Qualifiers: At partner events across the world – full tour plan can be found at discovery-contest.nordicgame.com

Grand Finals (NGDC Season V): Nordic Game 20+, 2-7 November in Malmö, Sweden

Participation

Are you developing, or have you already developed a game that deserves more attention than it’s received so far? Are you attending one of the events on the NGDC Tour? If so, submit your game, and prepare to go online for a qualifying round – and maybe all the way to the NGDC Finals!

Benefits:

Get your game discovered

As a finalist, a shot at some great prizes Meet potential partners and investors among the companies following the contest

2 full conference passes for NG21+

Unlimited access to the NG21+ MeetToMatch system A part of the online NGDC Season V Finalists Expo at NG21+ (2-7 November)