How Indie Fan Fest goals to present video games a lift forward of Steam Next Fest

Back in July, indie writer Digital Bandidos and occasion organiser The MIX introduced the launch of a brand new showcase championing indie builders.

Indie Fan Fest, which premieres tomorrow (September 24), is about to focus on upcoming indie titles making ready to debut playable demos throughout October’s Steam Next Fest.

Ahead of the debut showcase, GamesIndustry.biz spoke with Digital Bandidos CEO Steve Escalante and The MIX co-founder Justin Woodward on their partnership, how Indie Fan Fest got here to be, and what they hope to realize with future showcases.

The interview beneath has been edited for brevity and readability.

Steve, how’s it been going since Versus Evil shut down in 2023?

Steve Escalante: Versus Evil was actually only a nice run. When Lance [James] and I made a decision to begin Digital Bandidos, it was as a result of there was lots left undone and that is resonant within the relationships that we’ve.

I really feel like we’re in the suitable place – we have got a few half a dozen video games that we have signed, a few which have not been introduced, a number of have. I’m jealous of the again catalogue income stream that I used to have at Versus Evil, the place it had that income flowing in and paying for issues.

But we’re rebuilding, we’re having a variety of enjoyable. We’re seeing a variety of nice builders, nice video games, and the group we’ve surrounding us at Digital Bandidos is superior. So we’re fairly psyched.

Where did the thought for Indie Fan Fest originate? What was the pitch?

Escalante: Digital Bandidos has been working for a while now to attempt to assist indies with discovery. There’s solely a finite variety of teams and occasions that you may be part of to attempt to get your title seen.

The actuality is that indies are restricted, and we’re restricted by the truth that most indies have to make use of guerrilla-type ways, they usually haven’t got some huge cash. They cannot inject capital, they cannot do all of this stuff AAA or AA firms can do – coming from AAA, I do know that to be true.

The concept for Indie Fan Fest got here from [asking how we can give teams] a lift, maybe with sufficient advance discover in entrance of a Next Fest the place Steam can drive natural raise throughout that point interval. Since we did not know tips on how to do a present, we reached out to Justin and Joel [Dreskin] and the fellows over at The MIX. They’ve at all times been supporting indies in a really grassroots and genuine approach.

The core competency of the occasion was to present indies momentum, after which as they roll into Next Fest, Valve and Steam sees what they’re doing and provides them a lift, and the remaining is hopefully historical past.

How is Indie Fan Fest financed? Do builders must pay a submission payment to be featured?

Escalante: Yes, there’s a small submission payment, which is typical to what The MIX does. Once you get chosen, there is a $600 payment. We even have sponsors to assist with different issues as properly.

We needed to offer a low barrier to entry. Because as quickly as you say to an indie writer, ‘It solely prices $2,000,’ [They’re] like, ‘Excuse me?’ We guard each penny, all the pieces that we are able to.

Justin Woodward: With that state of mind, we’re working with Steam [to boost the event]. Anytime we’ve a Steam occasion web page, we drive hundreds of wishlists to the video games. And we preserve to the barrier of entry so it is reasonably priced.

So these builders can reap the benefits of the state of affairs with out feeling like their pockets are getting taken benefit of.

Even if one of many video games is superb, however the developer cannot even afford that, we’ll nonetheless work with them and say, ‘Hey, we wish your recreation, we wish your content material. We’ll handle that. Don’t fear about it.’

It’s all about constructing a grassroots neighborhood round this Indie Next Fest with the intention to have this as a sustainable platform for the long run, not simply this one occasion.

Every time there is a Steam Next Fest, we [plan to] have an Indie Fan Fest in entrance of it, and hopefully it will get bigger and bigger. Maybe sooner or later we might do a bodily occasion, which might be superb.

Steam Next Fest is a large occasion, and builders can wrestle to get observed. Was this one of many catalysts for creating your personal occasion to highlight indie builders?

Woodward: I believe it is a complementary solution to spotlight video games so that they get visibility. We’re discovering… I do not wish to say diamonds within the tough, however we’re discovering video games that will not floor that may hopefully get an enormous enhance from this sort of assist.

Escalante: The actuality is, if you concentrate on what number of video games are launched from a month-to-month perspective, you have obtained a pair thousand video games popping out.

When we first crafted this concept, we thought that whereas we may help lots of people, the truth is a present format can be restricted. So how will we attempt to create the suitable kind of momentum, acknowledgement, and promotion round a title to assist builders?

We’d love to have the ability to assist everyone, however within the present format and a variety of different codecs, which incorporates Steam Next Fest, it is actually, actually laborious as a result of there’s simply so many titles.

As those controlling what video games are featured, how do you select which titles will probably be proven on Indie Fan Fest?

Woodward: Both groups [Digital Bandidos and The MIX] went via this plethora of video games. Also, we’ve to suppose in multiples, we’ve to think about our viewers [and what they want to see].

We even have to think about the pacing of the present and the sorts of video games we’ll showcase inside that.

For instance, we had a bunch of Metroidvanias. We cannot decide 20 of these video games, so we had to determine which of them are distinctive, which of them have been overexposed, and which of them have not had the publicity that we expect that they might want to maneuver ahead.

We even have to think about our broadcasting companions, who’re wanting on the content material to see what their viewers needs. So in that context, we wish these tentpole video games that can assist raise up the smaller video games that do not have the publicity.

So there are some strategic issues we’ve to consider whereas we’re choosing the video games. The entire factor could be very properly thought out, and we’re speaking with the Digital Bandidos group, who’ve a unique eye and ethos behind what they’re . So it is very useful to have these contrasting ideas.

Have you been inundated with builders sending trailers to be featured within the showcase, or have you ever needed to chase folks?

Woodward: After we began actually pushing it on LinkedIn and all these totally different locations, we’re getting trailers after the actual fact, and we’re attempting to determine tips on how to slot stuff in.

In whole, we have had about 700 trailers are available for this blended with the Fall showcase, however an awesome quantity of them have been for Indie Fan Fest. It’s a very clear constructive that that is one thing that folk need. As a matter of truth, it was form of troublesome to say no to a few of these. They’re superb, however [we] cannot have a three-hour present, or else folks would get misplaced.

But there’ll undoubtedly be extra alternatives. It’s good as a result of I believe a variety of builders and even publishers break their backs to hit the primary Steam Next Fest and attempt to get a place. Now that we’ve this present, people can strategize and possibly they are often extra considerate on the place they slot their Steam Next Fest positioning, since you solely get one. So I believe that is going to be a web constructive and useful for folk.

Escalante: We’ve been actually flattered with how many individuals needed to be a part of this primary present. The subsequent one’s going to be greater, higher, with much more providers and knowledge, and hopefully we may help folks strategize. It’s an important occasion for indie builders – it is a wishlist driver, it is about growing a relationship with Valve, as a result of they’re seeing the pickup that you just get, and the hope is that we’re simply serving to.

Playing satan’s advocate, there’s a variety of these showcases… do we’d like one other one?

Woodward and Escalante: Yes!

Woodward: The factor is, a variety of people haven’t got the experience that we’ve in positioning these showcases. Not everybody has the partnerships that we’ve, both. There’s a variety of reveals popping out left and proper, and a variety of them do not final. Some of them do, and there is a few that I actually maintain in excessive regard. This is one thing I’m personally captivated with – it is very, very crucial and I believe we’ll kill it.

It looks like discoverability is the issue that everybody’s dealing with, and it will get worse and worse on a regular basis. How can that downside probably be solved – or can or not it’s solved?

Escalante: Digital Bandidos is actively engaged on a platform proper now to resolve discoverability. We really feel that there are firms which can be doing items of it, however they don’t seem to be doing all the pieces that may be achieved.

There are solely so many instruments in indie improvement to get that kind of discover and press for a console or PC launch. Now that the platforms have just about lowered the barrier to entry for merchandise, that is why we have seen an inflow of content material. So the problem goes to worsen. We have not even seen the impression of what AI improvement goes to do, both.

I believe it is going to be exacerbated within the subsequent couple of years, and due to that, we’re hyperfocused on how will we assist groups pre-launch, discover customers, create relationships with these customers, have direct communications, and hopefully be capable of mobilize them in the direction of wishlists, purchases, and pre-orders.

So you are speaking about constructing a platform for indies?

Escalante: We really feel that we’ve a method to do it. I’m hoping that we are able to get there. It’s going to be a problem, it is going to be a protracted course of, however I believe it is 100% wanted to assist them self-publish. There are firms which can be doing items of it which can be completely mobilizing and useful, and other people must be looking for these issues out.

Disclosure assertion: Former GamesIndustry.biz editor-in-chief, James Batchelor, is an worker at Digital Bandidos.