SXSW Sydney 2023 is opening its doors to the public, announcing access to the highly anticipated Games Festival through Wristbands.
These Wristbands are different from Badges, which are still currently on sale, and will be available for purchase starting Friday, 25 August, 2023. The festival is set to shine a spotlight on the Asia-Pacific games community, featuring an indie games showcase, awards night, and more.
What is SXSW Sydney 2023?
SXSW Sydney Conference will consist of Music, Games, and Screen Festivals, and a Tech and Innovation Expo. This comes out to over 700 speakers, 300 panels and sessions, and 400 artist performances.
Attendees can partake in hands-on workshops, mentoring sessions, galleries, performance spaces and so much more. Different badges provide attendees access into the different festival categories. However, the introduction of Wristbands allows the public to take part in the Gaming Festival without paying the high cost associated with badges.
What is the Different Between Badges and Wristbands?
Wristbands and badges offer different levels of access. While Platinum and Games badges include priority access to Games Festival events, they also grant access to conference keynotes, panels, industry showcases, workshops, networking events, and more.
Fortunately, the SXSW Sydney Games Festival Wristband gives you access to all the events, without the additional extras for media specialists. It grants you access to showcases from over 150 game developers worldwide, a Tabletop Expo catering to traditional board games and RPG enthusiasts, and more. The Early Bird pricing of just $165 offers access to six days of programming.
Wristbands will be available for purchase starting Friday, 25 August, at SXSWSydney.com.
What Can You Expect in SXSW Sydney Games Festival?
The SXSW Sydney Games Festival features a curated Games Festival Showcase with over 150 new indie games, a Tabletop Expo, a dynamic Festival Stage with live gameplay and screenings, Games Awards, and a Charity Marathon Stream to raise funds for charity partners.
Here is everything you can expect at SXSW Sydney Games Festival:
- Games Festival Showcase: Australia’s largest curated collection of new and upcoming indie games from 150 global developers, including titles like Nine Sols (Red Candle Games), Kinder World (Lumi Interactive), Mika and the Witch’s Mountain (Chibig), The Dungeon Experience (Bone Assembly), Mortal Sin (Doronik Games Inc), Toroa (Atawhai Interactive), and more.
- Tabletop Expo: Held over three days at the ICC, the Tabletop Expo features traditional board games, card games, and RPGs with hands-on demos, freeplay tables, and retailers showcasing the latest releases.
- Festival Stage: Operating day and night with live gameplay, performances, and screenings. The Festival Stage will also host themed feature nights, including the Midnighters Horror Games collection and Queer Creator Showcase.
- Games Awards: An evening event recognising excellence in the showcase, hosted by local comedian and musician Tom Cardy.
- Charity Marathon Stream: Combining talent show, stage show, and livestream elements, featuring numerous local content creators collaborating to raise funds for SXSW Sydney charity partners.
The SXSW Sydney 2023 Games Festival will take place between October 18-22, and an event Wristband will set you back AU$165. This is an Early Bird price and subject to increase closer to the event. Wristbands will be available for purchase starting Friday, 25 August, at SXSWSydney.com.