For three days, the Málaga venue hosts professionals, companies, developers, institutions, and fans on a common platform that includes a large exhibition area, demo spaces to try video games, a professional area for networking, industry meetings, and a program of specialized conferences.
The inaugural day featured the participation of the Councilor for Innovation of the City Council of Málaga, Alicia Izquierdo; the president of Altair and spokesperson for RetroPixel, Francisco Javier González; and the director of Guadalindie, Raúl López. They highlighted the initiative's importance in consolidating Málaga as a hub for digital content in Spain.
The professional program is concentrated on Friday, making the festival a meeting point for knowledge exchange, identification of new projects, and generation of business opportunities. The afternoon culminates with the second edition of the Iris Games Awards, which recognizes talent and creativity in the sector. This event, with an expanded capacity of 900 people, has selected 36 finalist projects from 288 submissions from 16 countries, breaking participation records.
The finalist video games stand out for their quality and innovation. In the Best PC/Console Video Game category, titles such as Crisol: Theater of Idols (Madrid), Manairons (Barcelona), Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (Seville), and The Occultist (Valladolid) compete. For Best Mobile Video Game, the nominees are ABC Dragons (Madrid), CHOMPED OUT (Ciudad Real), House of Wardians (Madrid), and Is This Seat Taken? (Barcelona). The Best Narrative Video Game category includes Call of the Elder Gods (Madrid), Luto (Las Palmas), Randal's Tuesday (Alicante), and Stars in the Trash (Murcia).
In Best Accessible Video Game, the selected ones are Dusty Bones (Pontevedra), Lady Umbrella (Madrid), Letters of longing (Valencia), and Moventure (Málaga). For Best TECH/XR Video Game, the finalists are Brain Rage at the Office (Madrid), Escape from Mandrillia (Granada), Parkour Labs (Huelva), and Rock Invasion VR (Málaga).
The Best Andalusian Video Game category features Astro Prospector (Málaga), Exit: Echoes of Insanity (Córdoba), FUR Squadron Phoenix (Seville), and Injection p23 'Tabula Rasa' (Málaga). Meanwhile, the Best International Video Game award is contested by titles from Germany, Pakistan, Estonia, and the United Kingdom. Aspirants for Best Indie Video Game are from Valencia, Barcelona, Seville, and Barcelona, while in the Educational Centers category, projects from Granada, Madrid, A Coruña, and Valencia compete.
The event is organized by the Television Academy, the City Council of Málaga through the National Digital Content Hub, and the Regional Government of Andalusia (Digital Agency of Andalusia and Ministry of Tourism). Guadalindie, promoted by the MálagaJam Association, focuses on independent studios, publishers, and investors, offering a demo area, conferences, and networking.
Experts such as Karla Zimonja, Chipzel, and Quinns are participating in the event. While Friday was for professionals, Saturday offers free access to the general public. RetroPixel Málaga, organized by the Retro Computing Enthusiasts Ludo-Technical Association, celebrates the 30th anniversary of Nintendo 64, the 50th anniversary of the Zilog Z80 microprocessor, and three decades of titles like Quake and Tomb Raider, with exhibitions and gaming areas.
Over the weekend, Andalucía Play Fest opens its doors to families, combining innovation, creativity, and digital culture. Saturday features proposals from Guadalindie and RetroPixel, while Sunday focuses on RetroPixel Málaga, offering a vision of the present, future, and history of video games.
This event represents a public-private collaboration model to boost the video game industry, reinforcing Málaga's leadership in this field and its positioning as a benchmark in Southern Europe.
