SXSW Gaming's About to Storm Austin Once Again

This yearly games festival is a little different than most

By IGN STUDIOS

Partner Content by SXSW

Austin's about to get a little weirder (apparently this is possible) as the legendary festival invades the city once again, with its signature SXSW Gaming show in tow. Game fans and industry pros alike will find a unique combination of all things geek in a chaotic three-day celebration from Thursday, March 15 to Saturday, March 17. From competitive esports to video games of all kinds, ranging from AAA and indie to mobile and VR, SXSW Gaming runs the entire gamut.

In contrast to other game events, SXSW Gaming draws upon the multidisciplinary nature of SXSW — offering a confluence of film, music and interactive tech — to build a space where creativity can thrive. All sorts of diverse people pop by every year to enjoy access to hundreds of planned appearances and events.

For starters, attendees can enjoy exclusive access to industry luminaries, creators, performers, and high-profile players at the Discovery Stage. The nine sessions announced so far include appearances by System Shock / Deus Ex mastermind Warren Spector, Ultima creator Richard Garriott (on the eve of launching crowdfunding phenom Shroud of the Avatar), Castlevania dad Koji Igarashi, Sega's Sonic posse, and many more. Other panels will cover game writers and their love of D&D, Latin-American game studio realities, nerdcore music (a unique genre embracing hip-hop, chiptune, brass, and rock, all touching on themes relevant to gaming and nerd fandom), as well as other fresh and timely topics. You can see the whole Discovery Stage lineup here.

2018's speaker lineup is packed, too, with a particular focus on esports. Headlining the speakers is none other than Brendan Greene, perhaps better known as PLAYERUNKNOWN. Other speakers include Nate Nanzer, commissioner of Blizzard's Overwatch league; Steve Arhancet, CEO of Team Liquid; and former NBA champ Rick Fox, now the mastermind behind esports team Echo Fox. So yep, they got esports covered.

And don't forget the SXSW Gaming Expo floor, where the best of the best AAA and indie games will be on display for everyone to play.

Everything will culminate with the SXSW Gaming Awards, in which thousands of projects will compete for the top spots across 24 award categories. In addition to celebrating gameplay, graphics and sound, SXSW will also reward games for cultural innovation, producing great results via crowdfunding, coming up with creative new IP, and for thriving in niches like esports, VR, and tabletop. And then there's the Gamer's Voice Awards, where festival goers play and vote on the best independent titles in the show floor’s Indie Corner.

The best part? Every gamer can vote in the Gaming Awards from this page, even if they can't attend. And be sure to tune in March 17 for the ceremonies and results livestream.

But if you do want to attend, it's real easy — just head over to this page and pick up a wristband. 20 bucks gets you in for a single day, and $40 gets you in for all three days. Prices increase a bit after March 8th though, so you might want to check this off your to-do list sooner rather than later.

Whether you can make it or not, IGN will be there in full force to scope the scoops and bring you the most interesting stories and news from one of 2018's more eclectic and unique events in gaming. Until then, stay tuned on IGN and vote for the SXSW Gaming Awards!

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