Activision Awards $250K To Indie Developers

[vansau]

Activision Awards $250K To Indie Developers

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What Activision isn't telling anyone is that Bobby Kotick is challenging the award-winners to a mud-wrestling match before he gives up the check ...

Activision's first Independent Game Competition is over, and the publisher has announced the winners. Between the first-place winner and the runner-up, Activision has awarded a total of $250,000 to the help fund development of the games, and then the publisher will have first claim on publishing the finished products once they're completed.

The first place winner is an RTS title called Dstroyd (a progress video of the title is included on the right). The game has a lot of elements from artillery strategy games like Worms and Gunbound, which creator <a href=https://twitter.com/#!/petey123567>Peter Angstadt cited as inspirations for his creation.

Another $75,000 went to runner-up <a href=http://engient.com/?tag=rigonauts>Rigonauts: Broadside, which is a battle-building game that requires players to build up crazy ships that they can send off to beat down enemies with.

Exactly when these games are due to be completed isn't obvious, but Activision's prize money will undoubtedly be a huge boon to the developers. From all of us here at The Escapist, congratulations to all the winners.

Source: Game | Life

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[DEAD34345]

As much as I like to hate Activision (or more specifically Bobby Kotick [http://media.arstechnica.com/news.media/kotick.jpg]), I think that what they've done here is great. I hope they make a ton of money from publishing these games, and that other companies follow suit.

 

[vansau]

As much as I like to hate Activision (or more specifically Bobby Kotick [http://media.arstechnica.com/news.media/kotick.jpg]), I think that what they've done here is great. I hope they make a ton of money from publishing these games, and that other companies follow suit.

Funny story: I actually made that graphic when I worked for Ars.

 

[Roofstone]

That worms clone seems fun to me from the look of it. Nicely done of activision.

 

[Alar]

I don't believe a picture is necessary here, so let's just stick with...

[i/]IT'S A TRAP![/i]

 

[Strixvaliano]

Congrats to the winners of the contest, Just make sure that you have read all the fine print on the contest so you hopefully don't owe your eternal soul to Activision. =P

 

[Gasaraki]

The winning game's cool and all, but the runner up looks amazing :O
/want

 

[vivster]

with that much money there has to be a contract with a fixed release frame and things that have to be integrated in the game

i think this is what the game industry should be like
we are in the internet generation now which enables all kinds of people to create and share their ideas... that was not possible before
so in my opinion having a single studio with the same people working on different games all the time is an incredibly archaic structure which leaves the creation process very unflexible
i thought we were past that already

publishers should buy game ideas and not people

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

$250,000 from Activision?

With their yearly revenue of 3 billion, that's like me giving Indie Game Developers a quid.

Way to push the boat out guys.

 

[ImprovizoR]

You know what they're doing right? They are looking for talented people who will later become Activision employees forming new Activision studios to make more Call of Duty games. Yes, I am that cynical.

 

[The Random One]

Kotick... covered in mud. Thanks for the image, Escapist.

 

[Alphakirby]

What? Sorry I couldn't read this because my katamari was taking it all before I could read it.

OT: Bobby Kotick giving someone money is like Scrooge Mcduck giving someone money.

 

[rabidmidget]

That 1st game just looks like an average tank warfare game, congratulations to them getting the money but I can't help but feel that they are more deserving games.