The Busan Indie Connect Festival 2026 (BIC 2026) closed out its Google Play Indie Fest Awards on August 15, handing out a combined 50 million won in prize money to top indie titles at BEXCO’s Exhibition Center 1, Hall 2 main stage in Busan. The awards, organized by the BIC Organizing Committee under chairman Joo Seong-pil, were run in partnership with Google Play, the festival’s global official Executive Sponsor. The program was set up to spotlight strong indie games among this year’s BIC entries and give developers a better shot at long-term growth and wider audience reach.

Submissions opened in July and were open to both PC and mobile titles, with entries judged purely on the quality and originality of the games themselves. From that pool, 20 games were chosen for an online showcase running from August 7 to 11, during which a 100-person audience voting panel narrowed the field down to the final 10, who then earned a spot pitching live on the main stage.

That pitching round took place on the afternoon of August 15, where each of the 10 finalist studios took the stage to walk through their design philosophy and show off their game’s core hook through live gameplay. Winners were determined through a judging system that split scoring evenly between a panel of five industry experts and the 100-member audience panel, with each side counting for half the final result. When the scores were tallied, first place and the 30 million won top prize went to “Preservation System,” developed by Banjiha Games Co., Ltd. Second place and 12 million won went to “Pengpong” by Sandy Floor, while third place and 8 million won went to “Master of Peace” by I Am Game.

𝗕𝗜𝗖 × 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀
🏆 최종 수상작 발표

관객 투표단의 온라인 투표와 전문 심사위원의 라이브 플레이 피칭 심사를 거쳐, BIC × Google Play 인디페스트 어워즈의 최종 수상작이 결정되었습니다. 영광의 주인공을 소개합니다!

Following online… pic.twitter.com/AKNssIA1R8

— BIC Festival 2026 (@BIC_Festival) August 15, 2026

The remaining finalists who pitched on the main stage, listed in their final ranking order, were Video Editor by ReturnTrue, Void Diver: Escape from the Abyss by Red Brick House, Inquisitor Shepherd by Narrow Deep, Stardust: The Star and the Witch by Knive Studio Co., Ltd.,HIPS N NOSE by Pepperstones Co., Ltd., Seven Trials by Newcore Games, and Relicursed: Curse of the Pyramid by Team NHNF.

Jang Hyun-se, Google Play’s global head of Points, said watching developers prove their games on stage and connect directly with players showed just how much passion runs through the indie game scene. He added that he hopes the awards act as more than a one-time event, and instead help build a creative ecosystem where good indie games keep getting discovered and lead developers into their next projects.

Joo Seong-pil, chairman of the BIC Organizing Committee, said the event went beyond simply showcasing developers’ passion, calling it proof of Google Play’s genuine, sustained support for the indie game community. He thanked Google Play for its sponsorship and said the festival plans to keep working with the company to build an environment where indie games can continue to thrive.