Smilegate Future Lab Recruits Participants (Teams) for Indie Game Contest ‘Indigo’

Smilegate Future Lab is recruiting participants for the indie game creation contest ‘IndieGo’ .

Now in its fifth year, Indigo is a program that discovers promising early-stage indie game teams and realizes the value of ‘Pay it Forward’ through the support of senior creators. Applications are open until April 12 on the Indielog website.

Open to all PC and mobile indie games… Targeting games without publishing contracts

The contest is open to any team currently developing a PC or mobile-based indie game. However, only works that have not signed a publishing contract are eligible, and works that have completed the Smilegate Membership Indie Game category or previous Indigo winners are excluded.

Applicants must submit an executable prototype (PC exe file or Android APK), an introductory video of approximately one minute containing actual gameplay footage, and a game design document. Works requiring separate hardware, such as VR headsets, will be excluded from the evaluation.

A total of 7 teams selected, 10 million won in prize money… 1-on-1 mentoring provided to all.

A total of 7 teams will be selected in this competition, with a total prize pool of 10 million won. The judging will focus on the fun and originality of the games.

In particular, all participants will be provided with one-on-one mentoring from industry experts, and meetup events for creators to network will also be held. Winning teams will also be given the opportunity to participate in the 18th cohort of the indie game incubation program ‘Smilegate Membership (SGM)’.

A ‘virtuous cycle’ where senior creators help juniors

The most distinctive feature of Indigo is its prize fund creation method. The prize money was voluntarily raised by past SGM graduate teams. Since the first competition, more than 18 teams have participated in the donation, continuing a virtuous cycle culture for five years where senior creators provide opportunities for juniors.

This year, Cassel Games (SGM 11th), Indigo Blue (SGM 11th), and Lizard Smoothie (SGM 16th) raised the prize money, and they plan to award the ‘Cassel Games Award’, ‘Lizard Smoothie Award’, and ‘Indigo Blue Award’ named after their teams.

Linked with the Prototyping Challenge… Expanding the Indie Ecosystem

Indigo is a core pillar of the indie game support ecosystem operated by Smilegate Future Lab. For the third season of the ‘Indie Game Prototyping Challenge,’ which opened recruitment earlier this year, over 200 creators from 40 teams participated in the past two rounds, and participant satisfaction was recorded at 4.84 out of 5 points.

The prevailing opinion was that they were satisfied with being able to concretize their development direction through mentoring. Senior creators who are alumni of the Future Lab creative support program, including Banjiha Games CEO Lee Yu-won, Huchu Game Studio CEO Kim Seo-ha, Team Horay CEO Moon Ji-hwan, and LIFUEL CEO Lee Do-woon, participated as mentors for the Indie Game Prototyping Challenge to give back their talents.

“Indigo is a competition where indie game creators support and guide each other to grow together,” said Oh Sook-hyun, Head of Smilegate Future Lab. “I hope that more creative teams will showcase their own games to the world, using the encouragement of senior creators as a stepping stone.”

2026 IndieGo Indie Game Creation Contest Overview