2009 Independent Games Festival Finalists, by localization:
Chile 
Sweden
USA
USA
Japan
Canada
Sweden
Ukraine
USA
USA
Czech Republic
Canada
Belgium
Switzerland
UK
USA
USA
UK
Singapore
USA
Sweden
USA
France, Spain Germany Italy what are you doing?? Even Switzerland and Belgium have a game in competition.
Hey ladies
I wanted to talk about these guys from the north of Europe. They really rock hard, people there start coding before walking, the demoscene is huge.. A real and neat computer culture.
Petri Purho from Finland launched Crayon Physics Deluxe a few weeks ago and from what I can hear, it’s a success. Made by a damn twenty and something student who fucked up his education just for this really cool and awesome game that is CPD (buy a cheap wacom if you really want to enjoy it, or wait for the end of 2009, cheap multitouch screens).
Petri won the IGF last year. This year once again north guys are at it (meanwhile they were around for years): Eric Svedäng from Blueberry Garden fame which has never really had a fame BUT the game always seduced me (audio atmosphere, physics, simplicity I’m sold!), here’s the trailer.
Nicklas Nygren is a swedish game developer and musician who totally nails the art of "audiovisual atmosphering", his next game is going to be great, can’t be another way.
Kian Bashiri from YHTBTR fame is nominated for his non-game and I hope to see more from him in this way: satire we need more of that: the game industry is so serious in its fantasy with its Dead Wrath Of The Space King stuffs.
These guys really inspire me.
By the way I had a little crush with Dyson last year so I’m glad to see this UK rts game making it to the finals.
Have you seen the Subversion work and its procedural generated city tool? Just awesome.
Don’t miss the 1st GlobalGameJam, a worldwide event in which people are gonna make games in three days. As I start a game company with some audio design and project manager things to do, it’s gonna be a nice training. Paris event is HERE.