September 23, 2025 – Seoul — Smilegate FutureLab announced that it successfully held the graduation ceremony for its Indie Game Prototyping Challenge on September 20 at the Smilegate Campus.
The seven-week program, running from August 9 to September 20, was designed to help indie game creators overcome challenges in the development process. Participants developed game builds based on their ideas, conducted user testing, and ultimately completed playable prototypes. Weekly peer feedback sessions, expert lectures, and Q&A opportunities were provided to reduce trial-and-error and guide creators toward clear development goals.
87 Creators, 24 Teams, and a Day of Reflection
A total of 87 indie developers across 24 teams took part in the ceremony, which featured sessions such as:
- Opening Session — reflecting on the journey,
- Team Retrospectives — sharing changes and growth,
- Group Demos — showcasing final builds,
- Individual Presentations — highlighting key learnings and skills gained.
The event also included a networking dinner to encourage continued collaboration beyond the program.
Lessons Learned and Mentorship
Participants emphasized that the challenge helped them grow as creators and highlighted the importance of teamwork. Mentorship from senior indie developers such as Lee Yu-won (Banziha Games) and Kim Seo-ha (Huchu Game Studio) was praised for providing practical insights.
One developer, Ryu Hong-kyu of Re:mu Games, noted:
“This program helped me refine my ideas and set clearer development directions. It was a valuable experience in goal-setting, scenario writing, dev journaling, and defining core gameplay.”
Future Plans
Smilegate FutureLab plans to operate the Indie Game Prototyping Challenge four times a year and will release an Indie Game Prototyping Guide via Stove’s online community. This will allow more creators to learn prototyping methods and apply them to their own projects.
Oh Sook-hyun, Director at FutureLab, stated:
“We hope this challenge offered indie creators a structured way to experience the development process and strengthen their creative capabilities. FutureLab will continue to refine its support systems and foster a healthy creative ecosystem.”
