ProtoPlay, a games festival, is set to return to Dundee on the 27/28 September, offering a platform for graduate games developers to showcase their work.
The festival serves as the public event for the UK Games Fund’s Tranzfuser competition, where nineteen teams from across the UK will present the first playable versions of the games they've been developing over the past ten weeks. These teams will travel to Dundee to receive valuable player feedback on their creations.
Taking place alongside the Dundee Design Festival at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Park, ProtoPlay is gearing up to welcome a broad audience of gaming enthusiasts.
Kirsty Gibson, Head of Impact at the UK Games Fund, highlighted the importance of the event for the teams and the local community:
"We always had such great feedback from Dundee families attending in the past. ProtoPlay provides an amazing experience for our Tranzfuser teams to show off their games for the first time."
Attendees will be able to try out a wide variety of games, including ice hockey party brawlers, pixel puzzle platformers, cosy narrative games, and twin-stick action roguelikes.
However, with event capacity limited, free tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis via the ProtoPlay website. Each ticket grants a two-hour slot to explore the games and provide feedback directly to the developers.
Tranzfuser, managed by Dundee-based UK Games Talent and Finance CIC, offers an exciting opportunity for participating teams, who will compete for up to £25,000 in funding from the UK Games Fund.
One local success story is Pocket Sized Hands, a game development studio that began as a Tranzfuser team in 2016. The studio has since gone on to publish a range of games and secure UK Games Fund support. CEO Gary McCartan spoke about the impact of the programme:
"Taking part in Tranzfuser was transformative for our studio when we started out as graduates. The programme helped us create sustainable foundations for the long-term success of our company, supporting our growth as professional developers and helping us to expand our network of UK-wide contacts within the industry."
McCartan also expressed excitement about ProtoPlay’s return to Dundee, adding:
"Bringing ProtoPlay back to Dundee is a phenomenal opportunity for both the graduate teams and local game-playing public! As a local studio, we can’t wait to get along to meet the teams from across the UK and play their games!"
The return of ProtoPlay promises to be an exciting event for both emerging game developers and the gaming community in Dundee.
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