In the category of “news you might’ve missed” is the Horizon press conference. Held at the same time as day 3 of E3, this press conference is brought to viewers by Venus Patrol and Double Fine to attract attention to the up and coming indie scene.
While E3 is designed to hype up the latest hardware and next gen games, Horizon is designed to draw attention to the independent crowd. Some heavy hitters from the independent scene were there, with announcements from Polytron (the makers of Fez), Capy Games (developers of Sword and Sworcery) and Double Fine.
What makes Horizon interesting is the emphasis on independent projects and the innovative community therein. For someone used to watching the shiny E3 press conferences, Horizon’s lower production value with almost the appearance of an academic lecture gives off the hint of earnestness that indie fans love.
Games discussed at this year’s Horizon conference were:
- Broken Age by Double Fine
- Below by Capy
- Tearaway by Media Molecule
- Sportsfriends by Die Gute Fabrik
- Mutazione by Die Gute Fabrik
- Hohokum by Honeyslug
- Kachina by Little Flag
Hopefully this will be the first of many Horizon conferences. Independent games are, in many ways, at the forefront of game innovation.
