Some of the best games out there aren't the highly-financed AAA titles from affluent developers and studios, but instead, the humble Indie scene, developed by Barry and Dave in a shed in Devon after their day jobs. TapTap, the games discovery platform, is shining a light on these independent idealists, with the Pocket Playfest: An Indie Celebration.
This inaugural event will kick off June 16th, and last until June 29th, 14 days on indie magic. TapTap will be inviting dozens of developers to showcase their creations to a wider audience, one that an independent studio might otherwise not reach which is incredibly invaluable. Participants will be able to play and vote for their favourite games, but just having exposure is the main thing.
To encourage interaction, however, those who do play and vote will be automatically entered into a big draw for physical prizes. These include 10 grand prizes of $1,000.00, as well as a Steam Deck and Xbox Elite controllers. Two weird prizes for an event that focuses on mobile gaming for sure, but loving the effort.
It isn't just the players that can get prizes, the Pocket Playfest is offering developers the chance to win one of six dev packages. This will be distributed alongside awards such as the Players’ Choice award, the one that gets the most votes, and the Most Discussed award, the game with the highest community engagement, which surely would be the same? Either way, these packages will include tools, resources, and services provided by TapTap to help the developer complete and market their games.
Now for the inconvenient news. Whilst TapTap is available on both iOS and Android, the Pocket Playtest will unfortunately only be available on the Android version, given limitations in Apple’s ecosystem. There are no specifics, however, it is most likely Apple’s cast-iron rules for what developers can and can’t do with their tech. Mores the pity, hopefully, you have an Android device as this promises to be an excellent event for all involved.
To make sure you can participate, head to the TapTap website to download the Android App.
