After a turgid year, Australia’s longest-running indie games festival will be back with a bang in 2021. Freeplay has announced new dates for the annual show, with the event planned to take place across a whopping six days from June 8 to June 13 in Melbourne. While last year’s show took place online, this year Freeplay will be a hybrid event where everyone can join in physically or digitally.
For those in Melbourne, you’ll be able to enjoy the return of the Freeplay Awards and The Night Market as well as physical activations, workshops, live music and other events. (Some events are paid, while others are free of charge.) For everyone tuning in online, there’ll be a selection of free conferences throughout the event where you can learn more about games development and how it works in Australia.
This year’s overall theme for the event is ‘Soft Voices, Loud Roars’, which is represented by the lovely frogs serving as the mascots for the event.
“Our diverse voices, backgrounds, opinions, and experiences come together to create a rich and vibrant community. Which will all be celebrated over the festival,” Chad Toprak, Freeplay director said in a press release.
The exact show lineup is yet to be confirmed, but there is currently an open call for speaker submissions if you’re working in the industry. There’s also the opportunity to submit personal games to the Freeplay Awards, which you can do here.
You’ll hear more about the full schedule and all the activities you can take part in by May.
Even if you’re not currently working in the games industry and you just want to know more about Aussie indie games, Freeplay is always a fun time. Australians make great games, and Freeplay gives developers a very welcome chance to tell their stories.
Tickets for Freeplay 2021 are now on sale, so if you’re keen to attend the physical event you’ll want to check out this link. For everyone else, the show will be live online from June 8 to June 13.
You can stay up to date with the latest news and changes on Twitter, Facebook or the Freeplay website.
Like other events this year, everything is subject to change — but given the recent success of the Royal Easter Show in Sydney and the excellent management of recent coronavirus outbreaks in Australia, the Freeplay 2021 is looking good.
Fingers crossed the team will be able to go ahead with the event once June rolls around.
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