KYOTO, JAPAN — August 4, 2022 — BitSummit, now preparing to open the doors for its tenth anniversary, reveals a stellar lineup of award nominees representing some of the best indies in Japan and worldwide. BitSummit is also happy to announce that supporter Xsolla will offer further support to indies at the event by providing prizes for the nominees and winners. BitSummit takes place Saturday, August 6, and Sunday, August 7, 2022, at Miyako Messe in Kyoto, Japan. Or watch online through BitSummit’s YouTube, TikTok, Bili Bili, and Twitch channels.

Each year the BitSummit Awards are given to standout games submitted to the festival. This year 26 games are nominated for awards in various categories, highlighting excellence in Design, Sound, Innovation, Art, and more.

BitSummit X-Roads Award Nominees

◆VERMILION GATE AWARD◆
Awarded to the game that exemplifies overall excellence.

Akurra – Jason Newman
Arise: A Simple Story – Untold Tales and Piccolo Studio
Different Strokes – Different Strokes Team
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees – Broken Rules Interactive Media GmbH
NeverAwake – Neotro Inc.
Unpacking – Witch Beam

◆INTERNATIONAL AWARD◆
Awarded to the game from an international developer exemplifies overall excellence.

Back to the Dawn – Metal Head Games
Cuisineer – BattleBrew Productions
Dawn of the Monsters – 13AM Games
Fashion Police Squad – Mopeful Games
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees – Broken Rules Interactive Media GmbH
RP7 – Turtle Cream

◆INNOVATIVE OUTLAW AWARD◆
Awarded to the game that best challenges the “norm” of everyday gaming and offers an innovative view of a game world, character, or gameplay.

Different Strokes – Different Strokes Team
Fashion Police Squad – Mopeful Games
It’s a Wrap – Chank Studios
Outcore: Desktop Adventure – Doctor Shinobi
Tokyo Ramen Restaurant Simulator – Hyperspeed Entertainment AB
Toyforming – Toyforming Studio

◆EXCELLENCE IN GAME DESIGN AWARD◆
Awarded to the game with an exemplary design concept, gameplay mechanics, and execution.

Akurra – Jason Newman
Do Not Buy This Game – Kingblade Games
DriveCrazy – Tube Games
It’s a Wrap – Chank Studios
RP7 – Turtle Cream
Unpacking – Witch Beam

◆VISUAL EXCELLENCE AWARD◆
Awarded to the game with well-designed and stunning visuals.

Dawn of the Monsters – 13AM Games
Different Strokes – Different Strokes Team
Kitsune: The Journey of Adashino – Rias
Last Time I Saw You – Maboroshi Artworks
Rat Cage – GosunSoft
TOEM – Something We Made

◆EXCELLENCE IN SOUND DESIGN AWARD◆
Awarded to the game that best epitomizes artistic excellence in an original musical score.

Afterimage – Aurogon Info&Tech Co., Ltd.
ASTLIBRA Revision – KEIZO
Backbeat – Ichigoichie
Bat Boy – X PLUS Games
Forestrike – Skeleton Crew Studio
SOULVARS – ginolabo

PRIZES

Xsolla is an international video game trading company with a robust and powerful set of tools and services designed specifically for the gaming industry. As our partners, they provide prizes for participants to find the right business partner and funding or business solution for the success of their game.

The BitSummit Award winners will receive a portion of a $10,000 pool provided by Xsolla, with the Vermillion Gate winner awarded $3,000. They will also offer a host of services on their platform, from marketing support to funding, free of charge for all nominees and award winners.

Furthermore, media partners Famitsu, IGN Japan, Dengeki Online, Gadget Tsushin, GameSpark, and 4Gamer, will present awards for their favorite games. Visitors at the venue can also participate by voting for their favorite game in the Popular Game Award.

BitSummit sponsors will contribute their own awards and prizes independent of those selected by the BitSummit Awards jury.

PlayStation Award presented by Sony Interactive Entertainment
Prize: One PlayStation 5

Shueisha Game Creator Camp Award presented by Shueisha Games
Prize: 200,000 JPN

Cup Noodle Award presented by NISSIN
Prize: 10 boxes of Cup Noodles

Kansen Meshi Award presented by NISSIN
Prize: 10 boxes of Kansen Meshi

Korokoro Comic Award presented by Shogakukan
Prize: Feature in a Korokoro Comic monthly issue

BitSummit X-Roads will take place Saturday, August 6, and Sunday, August 7, 2022. Operating hours are from 10:00 AM JST until 5:00 PM JST. BitSummit X-Roads will broadcast from the main stage on both days live on YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Bili Bili in Japanese, English, and Chinese.

The complete schedule of the BitSummit X-Roads stage is now available on the BitSummit Official website. For more information, please visit the BitSummit website and Discord server or follow BitSummit on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Press and influencers registrations are now open here until August 5th, 2022.

Tickets

General admission tickets and business tickets are available on the BitSummit Official website. BitSummit opens its doors to indie game enthusiasts for the first time since 2019 and will enforce strict COVID restrictions and safety measures to ensure a safe and secure environment for all exhibitors, developers, and guests.

For more information concerning business tickets and regular visitor passes, please visit the BitSummit website.

About BitSummit

BitSummit is an annual festival based in Kyoto, celebrating independent game developers and development in Japan. Founded in late 2012 to support, unify, and evangelize the vibrant and innovative Japanese independent game development scene to the world at large, BitSummit has established itself as Japan’s premier separate gaming event, attracting thousands of visitors annually, as well as a notable, international media presence. BitSummit has been covered by every leading gaming website worldwide and featured in print publications such as Weekly Famitsu, Dengeki PlayStation, GamesTM, EDGE, and more. BitSummit has also been the focus of panel discussions at the Game Developers Conference, IndieCade, IndieCade East, and CEDEC. BitSummit continues to grow alongside the burgeoning Japanese independent development scene in its tenth year.

BitSummit is organized by the Japan Independent Games Aggregate (JIGA): Q-Games Ltd, Skeleton Crew Studios, Pygmy Studio Co. Ltd., and BlackSheep.