With the outbreak of COVID-19, people and businesses around the world have had to adjust to the new realities of day-to-day life. In the gaming industry, events have had to pivot from holding huge events with thousands of people in order to curtail the spread of the virus. BitSummit is no different and since deciding to cancel the main Kyoto event this year, the Japanese Independent Games Aggregate (JIGA) will now hold BitSummit Gaiden, an online festival celebrating indie games, on June 27th and 28th, 2020.
BitSummit Gaiden (Gaiden loosely translates to “side-story” in Japanese) will be BitSummit’s first foray into an online event and aims to preserve the spirit of BitSummit through digital mediums. Gaiden will be a celebration of indie games from all over the world, streamed live through BitSummit’s Twitch channels with the new BitSummit Discord serving as its “virtual show floor”. Fans of indie games will be able to chat with indie developers, watch live streams of Let’s Plays from some of the largest media outlets and most popular influencers in the world, download and play demos of games from a selection curated by the BitSummit committee, and take part in contests to win prizes.
Partnering with BitSummit to help make BitSummit Gaiden a global event are some of gaming’s biggest media outlets, including Famitsu, IGN, Dengeki, GameSpark, Gadget Tsushin, 4Gamer, and US Gamer, with more expected to join the festival. Influencers who would like to be a part of the event can do so from the comfort of their regular platforms by simply playing BitSummit Gaiden games and using the #BitSummitGaiden hashtag to promote them.
Finally, because the global pandemic has disrupted so many lives around the world, BitSummit will be mobilizing our community to contribute to various charities to aid with relief. Please look for more details on this next month.
BitSummit Gaiden is sponsored and produced by Japan Independent Games Association (JIGA), along with the City of Kyoto, and Kyoto CMEX (Cross Media Experience).
Additional information regarding special guest speakers, influencers, and sponsors will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Please bookmark the BitSummit website or follow our Twitter or Facebook channels for the latest announcements as they’re revealed.
For more information regarding sponsorship, news, and more, please visit the BitSummit website: https://bitsummit.org/2023
General Press Inquiries
Email: contact@bitsummit.org
Website: https://bitsummit.org/2023
Twitter: @bitsummit, @bitsummitJP
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bitsummit
Japan Independent Games Aggregate (JIGA) Members: Q-Games Ltd., Pygmy Studio Co. Ltd., Skeleton Crew Studio, BlackSheep Consulting
ABOUT BitSummit
BitSummit is an annual festival based in Kyoto, celebrating independent game developers and development in Japan. Founded in late-2012 to support, unify, and evangelize the vibrant and innovative Japanese independent game development scene to the world at large, BitSummit has established itself as Japan’s premier independent gaming event, attracting thousands of visitors annually, as well as a notable, international media presence. BitSummit has been covered by every leading gaming website around the world and featured in print publications such as Weekly Famitsu, Dengeki PlayStation, Games™, EDGE, and more. BitSummit has also been the focus of panel discussions at the Game Developers Conference, IndieCade, IndieCade East, and CEDEC. Coming into its eighth year running, BitSummit continues to grow alongside the burgeoning Japanese independent development scene.