INDIE Live Expo Winter 2023: 100+ Games Showcased, "Viewfinder" Earns Multiple Awards

INDIE Live Expo Winter 2023, the digital showcase connecting indie game fans all over the world via a two-day broadcast in English, Japanese, and Chinese, has concluded their final event of 2023. Viewers worldwide tuned in for world premieres and updates across more than 100 games, a virtual trip to the Netherlands, and the fourth annual INDIE Live Expo Awards ceremony.​

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Hotly-anticipated titles revealed during the INDIE Live Expo “Summer Spotlight” returned this Winter with fresh news and release date announcements including Omega Crafter, the open-world crafting survival game by Preferred Networks, announcing the open beta now available on Steam for PC. Scavenge, craft and battle mythical beasts with friends in Enshrouded, the co-op survival action RPG developed by Keen Games, showcasing its latest trailer.
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Japan’s oldest Indie publisher PLAYISM showcased multiple updates including the release date of Fight Crab 2, the thrilling sequel to its crustacean combat game developed by Calappa Games, which claws its way onto Steam on Tuesday, Feb. 13th, 2024. Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, and the sequel to the award-winning metroidvania Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight developed by Bombservice, announced a release date of Thursday, Jan. 11th, 2024.
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Form loving bonds during battle in the latest trailer for romantic JRPG dungeon-crawler Witch and Lilies developed by Stromatosoft Inc, now in development for PC via Steam. Question one’s humanity in Boyhood’s End, the sci-fi adventure by WSS playground (Needy Streamer Overload), coming to Steam in Spring 2024.
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INDIE Live Expo took a trip to the Netherlands for a deep dive into the Dutch indie gaming scene during this years “INDIES Around the World'' segment, and returned home to showcase Fahrenheit 213’s fully hand-drawn RPG TSURUGUHIME. To date, INDIE Live Expo has shared more than 2400 indie games to 88 million fans worldwide since its debut in 2020.

This year’s winning titles include:
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INDIE Live Expo 2023 Award Winners

Local Cultural Representation Award
Venba (Visai Games)

Best Game Feel Award
Blasphemous 2 (The Game Kitchen, Team17)

Best New Characters Award
Sea of Stars (Sabotage Studio)

Internet Viral Award
Party Animals (Recreate Games, Source Technology)

Rules of Play Award
Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios, Thunderful Publishing)

Trailer of the Year Awards
『HUMANITY』Reveal Trailer (tha ltd., Enhance)

Best Short Game Award
Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios, Thunderful Publishing)

Rediscovery Award
OXENFREE II: Lost Signals (Night School Studio, Netflix)

Late Bloom Award
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (TaleWorlds Entertainment)

Most Addictive Game Award
EVERSPACE™ 2 (ROCKFISH Games)

***Grand Prize***
Viewfinder (Sad Owl Studios, Thunderful Publishing)​

The INDIE Live Expo Steam event features discounts on games featured during the Winter 2023 showcase, as well as price cuts on alumni indies from past events. Take advantage of savings on last year’s award winners including 2022 Grand Prize winner Unpacking, the zen-like isometric puzzle game developed by Witch Beam, until Saturday, Dec. 10th, 2023 at 3:00 JST.

“This year’s INDIE Live Expo Winter was a phenomenal success. We saw an incredible array of talent from indie developers, each bringing unique and captivating experiences to the gaming world.,” said Ryuta Konuma, Founder and CEO, Ryu’s Office. “We're already excited about the future and look forward to elevating indie gaming to even greater heights in 2024.”

INDIE Live Expo would like to thank our various sponsors such as Cygames, Preferred Networks, Keen Games, Stromatosoft Inc., WSS playground, 213℉, Aniplex, Freedom Games, PLAYISM, Whisper Games, ID@Xbox, Alliance Arts, INTI CREATES, Kagura Games, G-MODE, Happinet, room6, GYAAR Studio and Swaps4, as well as media partners Anime News Network, BaziCenter, Bleeding Cool, CGMagazine, Console Creatures, Couch Soup, Drops de Jogos, Final Weapon, Gematsu, Pizza Fria, PlayGround, Sportskeeda, and Techie Overload.

INDIE Live Expo extends a special thanks to this years voting panel including 3DJuegos, Anime News Network, BaziCenter, Bleeding Cool, CGMagazine, Console Creatures, Couch Soup, Cubiq, Drops de Jogos, Final Weapon, Fox News, GameStar, GamesVillage, Gaming Nexus, Gematsu, Gfinity Esports, GLHF, Pizza Fria, RPGFan, PlayGround, Sportskeeda, Techie Overload, TechRaptor, TrueAchievements, Zone of Games, Aron Garst, Ethan Anderson, Jason Fanelli, Jennifer Allen and Lewis Packwood.

Rewatch DAY1 and DAY2 of INDIE Live Expo Winter 2023 on YouTube.

Developers and indie game enthusiasts interested in information about future INDIE Live Expo events and opportunities can sign up for the INDIE Live Expo Letter here.

For more information, please visit the INDIE Live Expo website, follow @INDIELiveExpoEN on Twitter, and search for #INDIELiveExpo on social media.​