- The top 10 elite teams selected from the top 20 entries through preliminary screening and online voting proceeded with stage pitching.
- The final winners were selected through evaluation by a professional judging panel and a voting panel of over 100 audience members.
- The winner of the 30 million won first prize is Banjiha Games’ ‘Preservation System’
The ‘BIC x Google Play Indie Fest Awards,’ held in collaboration with Google Play at the ‘Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 (hereinafter BIC 2026)’ organized by the Busan Indie Connect Festival Organizing Committee, took place successfully on Saturday, August 15 at the Main Stage in Hall 2 of Exhibition Hall 1 at BEXCO.
This awards, with a total prize pool of 50 million won, is a special program designed to discover outstanding indie games among the entries of BIC 2026 and to promote the sustainable growth of indie developers and expand their reach to the public.
Starting with the recruitment of participants last July, the TOP 20 were selected based on the completeness and originality of the game creation itself, regardless of platform such as PC or mobile, and the final TOP 10 teams earned the opportunity to pitch on the main stage through voting by a panel of 100 audience members during the online exhibition held from August 7 to 11.
Final winners selected through a balanced 50:50 evaluation by experts and users
In the pitching competition held on the main stage at 3 p.m. on the 15th, the TOP 10 studios took to the stage to showcase ‘live play pitching,’ proving their development philosophy and the core appeal of their games through live play.
This evaluation was conducted with a 5:5 structure that gave equal weight to “the judges’ discernment” and “the players’ cheers” to maximize fairness, and the final winner was determined by combining 50% of the score from a professional judging panel consisting of 5 industry experts and 50% of the score from a pre-selected audience voting panel of 100 people.
The honorable winning entries selected after heated pitching are as follows.
- 1st Place (Prize Money 30 million KRW): Preservation System – Banjiha Games Co., Ltd.
- 2nd Place (Prize Money 12 million KRW): Pengpong – Sandy Floor
- 3rd Place (Prize Money 8 million KRW): Master of Peace – I Am Game
Top 10 Stage Pitchers (in order of final ranking)
- Video Editor – Return True
- Void Diver: Escape from the Abyss – Red Brick House
- Inquisitor Shepherd – Narrow Deep
- Stardust: The Star and the Witch – Knive Studio Co., Ltd.
- HIPS N NOSES – Pepperstones Co., Ltd.
- Seven Trials – Newcore Games
- Relicursed: Curse of the Pyramid – Team NHNF
Jang Hyun-se, Managing Director of Google Play Points Global, said, “We were able to witness the passionate enthusiasm of the indie game ecosystem as developers personally demonstrated their games on stage and interacted with users,” adding, “I hope that this will not be a one-off award but will lead to the continuous discovery of good indie games, serving as a stepping stone for a healthy creative ecosystem.”
Joo Sung-pil, Chairman of the BIC Organizing Committee, stated, “This awards ceremony was more than just a venue to witness the burning passion of indie game developers; it was a stage where Google Play’s unrivaled and sincere support efforts to revitalize the indie ecosystem truly shone,” adding, “I am grateful for Google Play’s sponsorship in providing a stepping stone for growth for indie creators.”
