BitSummit is at a crossroads. It’s even right there in the event’s name this year, BitSummit X-Roads.
Kyoto’s annual independent game show celebrated its 10th anniversary on Aug. 6 and 7, bringing together developers, guest speakers and gaming fans to put the vibrancy of Japan’s indie scene on display once again.
Now, the organizers behind the convention are at a turning point: They can either double down on the success of the past 10 years or incorporate new challenges into an event that has become bigger than even its founders envisioned.
A hint to the path they might take is in the butterfly wings that adorn the main mascot for this year’s show.
“The butterfly wings represent the chrysalis transforming to become the butterfly,” says BitSummit co-founder James Mielke. “The question I asked during my opening speech was, ‘Are we just going to do the same thing year in and year out, or are we going to evolve and change?’ The difference between BitSummit and other gaming events, in my opinion, is that other gaming events, you just attend the event. But with BitSummit, everyone who is involved in BitSummit is a part of BitSummit. That’s a huge distinction for me.
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