Square Enix Launches ¥1 Billion Game Development Contest
Square Enix has unveiled the SQUARE ENIX GAME CONTEST 2026, a significant game development competition with a whopping prize pool of ¥1 billion. The contest is geared toward original game concepts for both PC and mobile platforms, prioritizing projects that showcase novelty, originality, entertainment value, and completeness. The Grand Prize winner will take home an impressive ¥300 million, while four Masterpiece Awards will each snag ¥100 million. Additionally, ten Excellence Awards will be distributed, with each recipient receiving ¥30 million. Selected winning projects will benefit from publishing, distribution, and marketing support, along with royalty payments based on sales.
Applications for the contest will open on December 15, 2026, and close on March 15, 2027, with winners set to be announced on June 30, 2027. It's worth noting that applicants must reside in Japan to be eligible. Submissions must include a project proposal in PDF format, a gameplay video uploaded privately to YouTube (capped at 20 minutes), and a playable build submitted as a ZIP file. Interestingly, AI-generated content will be allowed under specific guidelines, but applicants must disclose the tools used. If a project advances, any AI-generated components may require manual revisions.
Why it matters
The judging process will unfold in three stages: first, reviewers will assess proposals and gameplay videos; next, they will evaluate the playable builds; finally, the process will culminate in interviews with finalists.
Original source
Noisy Pixel
