Fantastic Fest is moving back into gaming with the addition Fantastic Games, a new showcase in partnership with indie gaming nonprofit Day of the Devs.

The event will run across the opening weekend of this year’s film festival, Sept. 20-22, and will be open to all Fantastic Fest badge holders. Fantastic Fest is now owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment as part of their purchase of the Alamo Drafthouse chain in June.

Sponsored by Blumhouse Games, Double Fine (Psychonauts), Austin-based Devolver Digital (Reigns: Game of Thrones), Swedish indie game studio Raw Fury (Kingdom), and gaming collectibles creators iam8bit, in its inaugural year the new programming strand will include 12 horror games. Those titles aren’t simply TBA but TBC, as the organizers are still taking submissions from developers through Aug. 5. If you’re interested and have a horror-themed game (especially if it fits in with this year’s festival theme of carnival), you can submit your game here.

“Day of the Devs’ efforts to celebrate the best in games, championing some of the most unique and innovative experiences, embodies exactly what we do at Fantastic Fest with films, so partnering with them feels like a perfect fit,” said Fantastic Fest Festival Director Lisa Dreyer. “We’re excited to connect our Fantastic Fest attendees with incredible video games that will leave them shocked, horrified, and excited for more to come.”

“As huge fans of Alamo Drafthouse and Fantastic Fest, we’re thrilled to team up and help bring games back to the festival,” said Greg Rice, co-founder of Day of the Devs. “We’re always looking at how Day of the Devs can help spotlight the best of independent games, and are excited to bring some spooky, terrifying, and downright fantastic games. We’re so looking forward to September and celebrating with the community in Austin!”

Gaming is not a new addition to Fantastic Fest. Back in 2010 it established indie gaming mini fest Fantastic Arcade, which spun off into a standalone event in 2017. It has just announced its post-pandemic relaunch, happening in October, which will be a completely separate event from Fantastic Games.

Get more info at fantasticfest.com.

Get all the reviews, interviews and breaking news at austinchronicle.com/fantastic-fest.

This article appears in July 26 • 2024.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.