BitSummit is not a show that many people pay attention to, until the weekend it is on rolls around and then we see news galore coming from it. A Japan based show that is dedicated to Japanese indie developers that quickly grew from only a few hundred in their first event, to over 11,000 last year.

Like most other shows right now, they are having to go all digital in order to keep the conversation going and rather than just do a straight forward presentation, they are doing something a little different and that is why we have BitSummit Gaiden, here is a little info, direct from the shows organisers.

BitSummit Gaiden (Gaiden loosely translates to “side-story” in Japanese) will be BitSummit’s first foray into an online event and aims to preserve the spirit of BitSummit through digital mediums. Gaiden will be a celebration of indie games from all over the world, streamed live through BitSummit’s Twitch channels with the new BitSummit Discord serving as its “virtual showfloor”. Fans of indie games will be able to chat with indie developers, watch live streams of Let’s Plays from some of the largest media outlets and most popular influencers in the world, download and play demos of games from a selection curated by the BitSummit committee, and take part in contests to win prizes.

Partnering with BitSummit to help make BitSummit Gaiden a global event are some of gaming's biggest media outlets, including Famitsu, IGN, Dengeki, GameSpark, Gadget Tsushin, 4Gamer, and US Gamer, with more expected to join the festival. Influencers who would like to be a part of the event can do so from the comfort of their regular platforms by simply playing BitSummit Gaiden games and using the #BitSummitGaiden hashtag to promote them.

More details are expected soon, but given its online nature, this might be the perfect time to plan a trip to Japan