INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1 Opens Free INDIE Waves Submissions
The new application questions about team size, debut status, and production setup, plus the added 30-second trailer requirement, show INDIE Waves moving from rapid-fire game clips toward profiling the people behind the games.
Key Facts
- INDIE Live Expo 2026.12.1 airs December 1, 2026, and is the 15th edition of the program.
- INDIE Waves applications close September 29, 2026 at 11:59 AM JST; entry is free, one title per organization, and about 80 titles will be featured.
- The program has passed 100 million cumulative views and introduced more than 3,300 titles since its 2020 start.
- The INDIE Live Expo booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026 sits in Hall 9, booth 09-E21, from September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe.
- The previous INDIE Live Expo edition, 2026.4.25, received more than 1,000 applications.
Reporting from 3 sources: Denfaminicogamer, GameBusiness.jp, Game Spark.
The executive committee behind INDIE Live Expo opened general applications for INDIE Waves, the flagship corner of the December 1 broadcast, on September 2. Entry is free, one title per organization, and closes September 29 at 11:59 AM JST. The committee plans to feature about 80 titles. This round adds questions about development team size, whether the game is a debut work, full-time or part-time production setup, and anecdotes from production, part of a push to profile the people making the games as well as the games themselves. The video requirement also changed: applicants now submit a 15-second clip plus a trailer of 30 seconds or more. The committee separately announced an INDIE Live Expo booth at Tokyo Game Show 2026, running September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Hall 9, booth 09-E21, where it will hand out stickers of mascot Wishlist Ado-chan and a pamphlet carrying a 4-koma manga by Kawajiri Kodama. The program has run since 2020, passed 100 million cumulative views, and introduced more than 3,300 titles. The previous edition drew over 1,000 applications.
INDIE Waves is the corner that has run since the program's first edition, showing each game in a 15-second clip, and it is powered by Cygames. The previous broadcast featured about 160 works, so the planned 80 for this round is a smaller, more selective slate.
The committee's stated reasoning for the new creator-focused questions is that game engines, development tools, and AI-assisted production have changed the environment enough that a more diverse range of people can make and ship games. The story of who made a game and why is now treated as part of its appeal, alongside new information and features that set a title apart.
Selection results are due around mid-October. If applications exceed the planned number, a selection process decides which titles appear. The committee also offers sponsorship plans for developers who want guaranteed placement or to show multiple titles. The December 1 broadcast is the 15th edition of the program, which airs simultaneously in Japanese, Chinese, English, and Korean. Broadcast time and platform details will be announced later.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.