Indie gaming collective Six One Indie are debuting the first-ever awards show dedicated to indie video games. The Indie Game Awards will premiere on December 19 at 4pm Pacific/7pm Eastern via IGN and the Six One Indie YouTube channel.
The Indie Game Awards is an awards-only show, meaning no flashy interviews, trailers, or game announcements. Meanwhile, the very flashy The Game Awards premieres the week before, on December 12.
“The IGAs are built on the foundation of genuine collaboration, bringing together voices from games media, content creators, showcases, and game development within the indie scene,” states the press release. “At the heart of the ceremony are the developers themselves, who remain the focal point as we celebrate their creativity and contributions to the gaming world.”
Nominees have recently been announced across 15 categories. The judges include many indie collectives and panels, including Women-Led Games, and Wholesome Games, as well as indie-friendly media outlets such as Giant Bomb.
Here are the nominees for Game of the Year:
- 1000xRESIST (sunset visitor)
- Animal Well (Billy Basso)
- ARCO (Franek, Max Cahill, Bibiki, and Fáyer)
- Balatro (LocalThunk)
- Crypt Custodian (Kyle Thompson)
- Lorlei and the Laser Eyes (Simogo)
- Mouthwashing (Wrong Organ)
- Neva (Nomada Studio)
- Nine Sols (RedCandleGames)
- UFO 50 (Mossmouth)
Balatro was also nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. Balatro, along with Animal Well, Lorelei, Neva, and UFO 50 were all nominated for Best Indie Game at The Game Awards.
Other categories for The Indie Game Awards include Best Debut Game, Bite-Size Game, Emotional Impact, Solo Development, and Women-Led Game.
While the Game of the Year category has a startling 10 nominations, the other categories each have six.
Many beloved indie developers will present the awards, including Raw Fury, Yacht Club Games, and InnerSloth.
The Indie Game Awards will stream on December 19.
