Brandon Boyer named IGF Chairman

Brandon Boyer, co-founder and former editor of Offworld.com, has been confirmed as the chairman of the Independent Games Festival by event organisers UBM TechWeb Game Network.

UBM say Boyer will oversee submission and judging operations, provide community outreach and help shape the continued growth of the IGF.

The 2010 event took a record 607 game submissions across the IGF Main Competition, Student Showcase and IGF Mobile competitions. Next year’s event, part of the larger Game Developers Conference, will return to San Francisco’s Moscone Convention Center Monday, February 28 to Friday, March 4, 2011.

Boyer is taking over the role from former chairman Simon Carless. Carless will continue to contribute to the IGF as chairman emeritus, and as part of a Festival organizing committee that includes Boyer, Carless, Flashbang Studios’ Matthew Wegner and Enemy Airship’s Steve Swink.

"The Independent Games Festival has consistently been my highlight of the Game Developers Conference for as many years as I have been attending," said Boyer.

"I’m extremely honored to help shape the future of the festival and bring ever-wider attention to the indie games community, a group that is truly defining the future of video games as an artistic medium."