Entry Guidelines
About SQOOL GAME AWARD 2025 SUMMER
SQOOL GAME AWARD (hereinafter referred to as SGA) is held with the purpose of introducing various games to game fans.
Entry Requirements
Eligibility
You must be a developer of the title or a member of the development team. Alternatively, you must be a publisher who holds the publishing rights for the title.
Platform
Titles available on platforms or websites where general users can purchase or download for free, such as smartphones, Steam, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, other distribution sites, and personal websites, are eligible.
Release Date
Titles that have released a playable version (product version, early access version, demo version, etc.) between April 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, are eligible.
Titles released on UnityRoom or personal websites are also eligible.
Titles released only in closed communities such as Discord groups are not eligible.
Development Scale
The scale of the title is not a concern.
As a policy, SQOOL aims to support small-scale game development teams.
Therefore, small-scale development titles (indie or doujin games) will be given preference in the selection process.
While AAA games, games from major manufacturers, and games from studios funded by major companies will be accepted and considered, please note that the selection criteria will be stricter compared to small-scale titles.
SQOOL will determine whether a development is small-scale or not. Please note that these criteria will not be disclosed.
Other
Adult titles (18+ titles) are not eligible.
Gambling games and other games that are illegal in Japan are not eligible.
Other games that SQOOL deems to contain discriminatory content or ethical issues are not eligible.
About Paid Titles
For titles sold on platforms like Steam, Switch, and PlayStation, please provide 5 download keys.
Keys will be used for selection and streaming.
For paid smartphone titles, those priced at approximately 1,000 yen or less are eligible.
This measure is to prevent spam-like behavior where numerous high-priced titles are submitted from specific publishers, so we appreciate your understanding.
Note that apps priced over 1,000 yen are not necessarily ineligible. If you wish to submit such an app, please contact us separately via email.
For smartphone games that display advertisements, it is a condition that the ads can be removed through in-app purchases. This is to prevent unintended advertisements (such as sexual content) from being displayed during YouTube streaming.
If ad removal is implemented, the price should be approximately 1,000 yen or less.
Even if ad removal is not implemented, if the ad positions are fixed, it may be possible to accommodate. If you wish to submit such a game, please contact us individually.
Note that video reward ads are acceptable as they can be optionally displayed.
Number of Eligible Titles
Multiple titles can be submitted if they meet the entry requirements.
However, if too many titles are submitted, it may not be possible to consider all of them. Please limit submissions to approximately 5 titles within common sense.
Publishers with many titles may submit 6 or more titles, but it would be very helpful for selection purposes if you could focus on your most confident works.
Please note that if multiple titles pass the selection and are streamed on YouTube, it may be difficult to have the same person appear multiple times due to program composition.
Entry Fee
Free
Entry Period
April 15, 2025, 00:00 to May 31, 2025, 23:59
Selection Criteria
SGA selects titles based on the principle of supporting various games, with particular emphasis on supporting small-scale game developers.
However, this does not mean that large-scale titles will never win awards.
Please note that more detailed selection criteria are not disclosed.
About Award Benefits
We plan to select a Grand Prize, Streamer Award, and other subsidiary awards.
Grand Prize winners will receive a commemorative item and future PR support from SQOOL.
For those who do not win the Grand Prize, we are planning streaming on
SQOOL's YouTube channel
and other events.
How to Enter
Please fill out the entry form with the required information.
Content Usage and Media Coverage
SQOOL GAME AWARD content can be freely cited in articles and reports by SQOOL.NET and other gaming and general media outlets.
Therefore, information about submitted games may be used in articles, videos, and news reports without prior confirmation from the applicant.
Information Sharing with External Parties
The information you submit will be shared with SQOOL internal staff, SQOOL.NET editorial department, SQOOL's contractors, SQOOL GAME AWARD 2025 sponsors, and other related business entities.
As part of the event's nature includes matchmaking between developers and publishers or other business entities, please be aware that you may receive email or other communications from sponsor publishers, advertising companies, or other businesses as a result of participating in SQOOL GAME AWARD.
For submissions from publishers, we will coordinate and request to prevent contact from competing publishers, but there may still be communications for business partnership purposes. We appreciate your understanding given the event's objectives.
Other
The entry guidelines will be updated as needed. Updates will take effect immediately upon posting. Major changes will be announced on the site's News section, X, and Discord.
