The absolute event to be at if you’re a fan of indie games is finally back. BitSummit 2019, also known as BitSummit 7 Spirits, will debut from June 1 to June 2 at the Kyoto International Exhibition Hall. Check out the official website here.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, BitSummit is Japan’s top indie game festival. It’s home to some of the best and the brightest when it comes to smaller titles, not only in Japan, but for developers across the world. 2019 is the seventh iteration of the event, and it’s certainly one of the biggest as well; BitSummit is expected to feature more than 100 games from 24 different countries. Aside from developers and publishers, BitSummit 7 Spirits will also feature industry leaders as speakers for various panels, as well as musicians to entertain attendees during various downtimes.
A ton of sponsors and partners have already been announced for the event, with even more going in attendance. Some of the well-known names include: Nintendo, PlayStation, Devolver Digital, Google Play, Cygames, DELiGHTWORKS Indies, Xbox, Limited Run, TapTap, Cup Noodle, Ponos, Unties, Inti Creates, Oculus, Raw Fury, X.D. Network, Inc., Utomik, DenChan, Game Server Services, GenVid Tech, DotEmu and so much more.
Two of the biggest names in the event, Nintendo and PlayStation, have already announced their own titles for the event. Check them out below.
Nintendo
Nintendo’s slate is noticeably small at their main booth, but it is expected that more titles will be announced in the coming days leading up to the event.
- Cuphead (Studio MDHR)
- Slay the Spire (Humble Bundle, Mega Crit Games)
- Untitled Goose Game (Panic Inc.)
A ton of notable releases on the Switch, however, will be playable at the Indie World Café Area. This includes titles like Celeste, Donut County, Hollow Knight, Human Fall Flat, Lumines Remastered, Overcooked!, Thumper, Stardew Valley and so much more.
Sony PlayStation
Sony’s offerings for the event will include some upcoming titles and VR games as well.
- ANNO: Mutation (ThinkingStars)
- Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (505 Games, ArtPlay)
- Chrono Sword (21c Ducks)
- Evotinction (Spikewave Games)
- F.I.S.T. (TiGames)
- Hardcore Mecha (Arc System Works, RocketPunch Games)
- Indivisible (505 Games, LabZero Games)
- In Nightmare (Magicfish Studio)
- Knights & Bikes (Double Fine Presents, Foam Sword)
- Lethal League Blaze (Ooizumi Amuzio)
- No Straight Roads (Metronomik)
- Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (Marvelous, Edelweiss)
- Wattam (Annapurna Interactive, Funomena)
- West of Dead (Raw Fury)
The PlayStation VR games include:
- Budget Cuts (Neat Corp)
- Falcon Age (Outerloop Games)
- Focus on You (Smilegate Entertainment)
- Throw Anything (Visual Light)
Sony Interactive Entertainment’s President of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, is also set to attend BitSummit. He will share the stage with Wattam and Katamari Damacy game designer Keita Takahashi on June 1, with topics including the conception of Wattam.
Tickets for BitSummit 7 Spirits are still on sale, and you can check it out on their website here. The event will also be livestreamed on Famitsu’s YouTube channel, which you can check out here.
