Google To Hold Indie Game Festival, All Minor Devs Invited

In a bid to establish a foothold in the video game industry, Google is holding a video game festival aimed at indie sectors, where developers can showcase their various games to the world. The only folks invited are those who are making titles for Android devices, however, which is expected from an event called Google Play Indie Games Festival.

The festival is set to take place in San Francisco, on Sept. 24, according to Engadget. The festival will have 30 titles as the center piece, and the top submissions for the indie game categories will receive prizes.

“Google Play is the largest store for digital content; 65 billion apps and games were downloaded over the past year," Jamil Moledina, a lead for Play Games over at Google said. "It's an immense platform that we have, and along with that is an opportunity to better support the indie games community."

For those who want to participate, Fortune reports that they can submit their titles on Aug. 14. Among the early submissions, Google will then choose which games will be added to the presentation come the time for the festival. Only developers from the U.S. and Canada are allowed to participate as well.

Among the prizes that Google will award include “Tango” devices that come with sensors for tracking 3D motion. These devices can help developers create even more immersive apps, particularly ones that deal with 3D environments.

Additionally, winners will get support from the search engine giant via free ad campaign that could allow more revenue via ads on their apps. Developers that stand the best chance at winning are those who heed Google’s encouragement of creating virtual reality app games, which developers can create using the company’s “Daydream VR” tool kit.

The focus on VR technology is particularly important for Google because it’s trying to establish itself as an authority in the field.