Activision reveals â??$500kâ?? indie dev contest

The biggest games publisher in the world is positioning itself to work closer with the industry’s growing pool of indie game talent.

Activision-Blizzard is offering one aspiring developer the chance to win a $100,000 prize for pitching a winning game concept.

Activision has not yet finalised eligibility requirements for the contest, but said that an official entry form will be available in a matter of weeks.

The publishing powerhouse said it will soon be asking interested developers to submit a two-page summary of their proposed game, complete with a bullet-point list of defining features, as well as a video of the game’s prototype.

The firm stressed that it is looking for “footage of your game in motion, character models, animatics – show your project and its elements however you feel would be most compelling.”

The finer details of the development contest are unclear. Company CEO Bobby Kotick, speaking at a DICE Summit keynote address, was quoted as saying that the competition has a $500k prize pool – suggesting that $100k would be awarded to the ultimate winner, and the remainder divided up for other finalists. This has not been confirmed.

Nor did the company express that the design contest would ultimately lead to a publishing contract with Activision.

Kotick lifted the lid on the contest during a lively 60-minute speech, where the experienced industry executive made a string of eye-raising comments:

Kotick: I missed my $700m chance to buy Blizzard
Kotick: I missed my chance to buy The Sims
Kotick explains ‘cut fun from development’ fiasco

Develop is contacting Activision for further clarification on the competition.