Below are a few common questions people tend to email us, but the three most important things are: There’s no cost to enter, there’s no cost to exhibit if selected, and for PC titles, there’s no obligation for developers to attend either.

It’s free?
Yes, there’s no cost to enter or exhibit, but we do get around 300 submissions for just 20 or so places.

Open to all platforms?
Yes. Gaming PCs and peripherals are provided by our sponsors, and we’re around to run them. If it’s non-PC (or uses VR) and you’re selected, you’ll be invited to attend with your own equipment.

Is it for UK developers only?
Leftfield is open to developers worldwide.

Is my project right for this?
Yes.

Is my thing really good enough to submit?
Yes it is.

Are you sure?
Yes! Leftfield lineups range all the way from highly polished commercial work to rough prototypes.

Can I submit multiple things?
Yes. Please submit each project separately.

Can I submit something that hasn’t got into a previous show? Is it worth doing that?
Yes. No guarantees of course, but there have been quite a few projects that weren’t selected one year, then were for a subsequent show.

Can I submit something that’s been released?
Yes that’s fine.

Are Steam keys okay to submit instead of a standalone build?
Yes, but we might request a standalone show build in the event your project is selected.

Do you use Tesflight to try out iOS things?
Sometimes, but no promises.

What if my thing has gnarly spatial requirements?
Not guaranteed, but we might be able to accommodate it. Submit it, let us know and we’ll see!

Do you cover travel or accommodation for developers?
Unfortunately we can’t cover that. Though, if you submit a PC game that’s subsequently selected, but can’t make it there in person, as long as you can send us a build before the show we’ll take care of installing it and making sure it runs.

If we’re selected, do we have to buy tickets?
Each project selected gets up to four developer passes, free.

When does selection finish?
We aim to get it done in a week after the submission deadline, but it sometimes takes a bit longer. It’s a lot of poring over screens and spreadsheets.

What makes a good submission?
Video is best, screenshots good, and builds are generally what we’ll look at once we’ve got down to a shorter list of potentials. We’re also primarily looking for things that show the game/thing in action, not screenshots of menus. While text is good for context and knowing a bit about who you are, we’re mostly looking at the project. It’s not a job or grant application, there aren’t any linguistic hurdles we require you to jump.

No linguistic hurdles?
Not specifically, but if you want to charm us, we’re WAAAAY more interested in a straightforward description of how your thing works, rather than superlative-laced marketing guff.

How do you choose things?
The show is curated, and while we consider each project on its own merit, it’s also about the lineup as a whole. It’s not a competition and we’re not necessarily looking for the “best” games in any conventional sense. We don’t tie ourselves to or publish any rigid criteria. In the past, when looking to include everything right out to the fringes of experimental work, without excluding more typical or traditional videogame projects, we’ve found set curation rules to be counter-productive.

Is my game really the right *kind* of thing for this?
Yes. The point of Leftfield is to show the gamut of what people are doing with game design and videogames tech. We’ve shown everything from early VR to board games to experimental art pieces and installations before, along with plenty of non-avant-garde indie games.

How far along in development does it have to be?
It can be at any stage, and the only guideline we have is: best for it to not be some concept art and a promise. Sometimes even early prototypes are wonderful.

What if my project has been in it before?
You’re welcome to submit again. Having been in before makes it unlikely we’ll choose it a second time, but it’s not unprecedented.

Does it have to be a game?
(aaargh) videogames/games/things are all welcome, and we don’t worry about this at all. “System design combined with media” is basically what we consider videogames to be for Leftfield, and we’d even bend that definition for something interesting.

Will you sign an NDA before looking at my submission?
Hah, no, sorry. You’re applying for a public exhibition!

Do any of these builds, screenshots, etc. we submit get passed on to anyone else?
No. While Gamer Network does own Eurogamer and several other websites, none of your application gets passed on to any editorial staff.

Does any information get passed on to anyone?
If your project doesn’t get into Leftfield, you might get an email about Rezzed or the Rezzed Area at EGX, but no one outside of Leftfield curation gets to see the game assets you submit. For up to the minute information, please refer to the declarations at the bottom of the form for whichever show you’re submitting for.

Can I email my submission?
Please don’t. It’s a time consuming pain in the butt to fish things out of emails, then file them in some logical way for the curation process, so we ignore emailed submissions and assets.

What if I want to update a submission later on?
Please just make another submission. It’s very easy to weed duplicates out of the data by date.

Do you give feedback on non-selected submissions?
You’re welcome to ask but please don’t take it personally if we don’t. A lot of people do ask and time is short.

When exactly is the deadline?
Officially, 23:59:59 on the date listed. We’re not strict about something that’s a little late, but can’t guarantee things submitted after the deadline will make it into curation. Also, seriously, maybe do something nice with your evening/weekend instead of crunching for a tiny bit of extra polish?

Does it have to be playable at the show?
It has to be playable. Feel free to stretch the definition of that, because that’s only fitting for Leftfield. If all you want to do is loop a trailer to promote your thing though, we’ll delete it and put something else on that makes better use of the space.

If you have any other questions, please email david.hayward@gamer-network.net