The annual BitSummit event, Japan’s festival celebrating indie games, was originally planned for May this year in Kyoto, but had to be cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its replacement is BitSummit Gaiden, an online event including Twitch streams and a Discord server.
Over 75 games from Japan and around the world are being showcased, with streamable demos available on Utomik rather than on a show floor. All of the games are divided up into five teams and you can see them on a neat map of the event.
On the Discord server there are live chats with the developers, let’s plays, and competitions, and the server will remain after the weekend as a permanent community. Follow the events on Twitch as well as the hashtag #BitSummitGaiden on social media.
For more on what makes BitSummit so special, here’s our story on how it’s paving the way for indie games in Japan from last year.