- Outstanding indie game IPs enter YouTube Playables, playable without separate installation.
- BIC Selects 7 Pilot Titles from 5 Companies for Internal Verification… Establishes New YouTube-Based Indie Game Distribution Model
Busan Metropolitan City, the Busan Information Industry Promotion Agency, and the Busan Indie Connect Festival Organizing Committee (BIC Organizing Committee) are partnering with YouTube to promote the global expansion and IP growth of domestic indie games.
On August 7, the BIC Organizing Committee officially announced an indie game IP expansion project based on ‘YouTube Playables’ through a strategic collaboration with YouTube. Through this collaboration, the plan is to establish a new cooperative model that enables excellent indie game IPs to enter the YouTube Playables platform for the first time in Korea.
YouTube Playables is a service that allows users to enjoy games with a single click within YouTube without the need for a separate app installation or game download . Since launching with 37 games in November 2023, it has expanded its lineup to over hundreds of games and is gaining attention as a new distribution platform for casual games.
Recently, with the introduction of ‘Playables Builder,’ which allows you to create games using only prompts such as text, images, and videos, there have been ongoing attempts to lower the barriers to entry for game production and distribution.
The BIC Organizing Committee took note of YouTube’s transformation, which is expanding its scope from a platform for simply ‘watching’ games to one for ‘directly playing’ them. This is interpreted as a judgment that YouTube Playables can become a new global distribution channel for indie games, given its ability to intuitively connect global users with games without the need for separate installations or downloads.
In particular, considering the characteristics of indie games that prioritize original ideas and individuality without being limited to specific genres, it is expected that domestic developers will be able to more easily connect with YouTube’s global user base through YouTube Playables.
Pilot Onboarding for 5 Domestic Indie Companies and 7 Titles
The BIC organizing committee is currently conducting onboarding for a total of seven works from five domestic indie game companies that have undergone internal verification, targeting some countries where YouTube Playables is currently available.
Once onboarding is complete, users in the relevant countries will be able to immediately play selected indie games via YouTube Playables without a separate download process.
This collaboration goes beyond simple platform entry. The BIC Organizing Committee plans to establish a multifaceted cooperation model based on YouTube Playables, connecting indie game developers with global creators and discovering new business opportunities.
On August 14, a private networking event will also be held to build a strategic collaboration model with creators.
At the ‘Busan Indie Wave Conference’ held on the same day, a panel session on YouTube Playables will also be organized. Two indie game developers currently undergoing platform onboarding and Supercent, a global hypercasual game specialist, will participate as panelists to discuss the significance of this collaboration and new distribution possibilities for indie games.
“Collaboration with YouTube will serve as the most intuitive and innovative bridgehead for indie games to transcend the limitations of existing distribution platforms and connect with global users,” said Joo Sung-pil, Chairman of the BIC Organizing Committee. “We hope visitors will experience the infinite possibilities of indie games, and BIC will continue to be a reliable partner leading the new growth of developers.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Busan Indie Wave Conference,’ where you can hear various insights from game industry experts including this YouTube Playables collaboration session, will be held on Business Day, August 14. Admission to the conference is limited to Business Pass holders.
