adminThe Triple-I Initiative has made a name for itself as a focused showcase for independent games. Organised by French developer Evil Empire, the annual 45-minute event combines a carefully selected lineup with practical support for participating studios. Its organisers say the goal is not simply to attract views, but to help the right games reach players who may want to wishlist them.
Image credit: Evil Empire
How the Triple-I Initiative selects games
Evil Empire began the showcase to announce The Rogue Prince of Persia. After that first event performed well, the team decided to create a platform for other developers, too. The format remains deliberately simple: a 45-minute presentation without hosts, built around games, with a flat rate of $15,000 for one minute of showcase time to cover operating costs.
The reported results point to strong visibility for some participants. In 2025, several games gained more than 100,000 wishlists within five days of the event, and 16 of the 40 featured games appeared among Steam’s top trending games. The 2026 edition was also reported to have had a significant impact.
For developers considering a showcase, these figures are useful context, not a guarantee. Wishlist results can vary by game, audience fit and timing, so studios should assess the cost against their own marketing goals.
Balancing established games and new discoveries
A six-person team reviews submitted builds through a platform created for the process. After playing and rating the games, the team spends several weeks deciding what belongs in the final lineup and how to order it. The sequence aims to bring together familiar titles with large audiences and less widely known games that may appeal to those same players.
Past highlights have included the reveal of Slay The Spire 2. The team also considers whether a game could benefit from exposure even if it has already been announced; CloverPit, previously announced by Future Friends, received additional visibility through its appearance.
The organisers also consider discoverability on Steam. They see the platform’s front-page placement as an important factor in reaching viewers, alongside the showcase’s own audience. A useful takeaway for developers is to prepare a clear, immediately understandable trailer that communicates a game’s appeal quickly.
Trailer feedback and success measures
Evil Empire offers participating studios advice on their trailers, informed by playing the games themselves. The team can point developers toward features that are likely to stand out in a live presentation and help shape a trailer for the event’s audience.
Rather than judging success by views alone, the organisers pay attention to studio satisfaction, the relationship between views and wishlists, and audience discussion. A large view count may have limited value if it does not lead to interest or conversation. For studios, tracking several outcomes can provide a more useful picture of whether a marketing appearance reached the right players.
Image credit: Evil Empire
Running a showcase alongside game development
Evil Empire continues to develop games while organising the Triple-I Initiative. The studio announced Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse in February while finalising that year’s showcase lineup, alongside work on projects including The Rogue Prince of Persia. The team has described the overlap as chaotic, making careful planning important for both production and event work.
The organisers have no plans to expand the show. They believe its concise format, lack of a host and emphasis on games are central to its identity. Keeping the event focused also helps it avoid adding scale for its own sake.
Taking over live ops for other studios
The showcase has also helped Evil Empire build relationships with developers. Through the Triple-I Initiative, the team connected with Blobfish, the studio behind Brotato. Blobfish wanted to move on to other work while its community still wanted new content, a situation Evil Empire recognised from its experience continuing Dead Cells after Motion Twin shifted toward new projects.
Following online discussions and a week-long meeting in Bordeaux, Evil Empire took over live operations for Brotato. The teams agreed on the game’s core principles, what needed to be protected and what kinds of updates were appropriate. Blobfish retains ownership of the intellectual property; the arrangement gives Evil Empire a revenue share tied to the new content it provides.
Evil Empire is establishing a unit to handle live operations for other companies’ games, particularly titles later in their lifecycle. The studio says it wants to work on games it genuinely likes, so that its care for the project is clear to both the original developer and the player community.
Image credit: Blobfish
Building original intellectual property
Much of Evil Empire’s work so far has involved existing properties, including Dead Cells, Castlevania, Prince of Persia and Brotato. The studio is interested in developing original intellectual property, but says it first wants to establish a sustainable foundation.
Established properties can offer recognisable creative guidelines, an existing audience and, in some cases, an easier route to funding. Starting from scratch with a large original project requires different resources and carries different risks. Evil Empire is exploring ideas, but does not expect its next production cycle to be devoted to an original IP.
Image credit: Evil Empire/Konami
The studio also intends to keep working on other companies’ properties when they suit its strengths and preferred genres. For developers considering outside support, the Brotato arrangement illustrates the importance of agreeing on creative boundaries, ownership and revenue terms before a live-ops partnership begins.
What makes the Triple-I Initiative effective
The Triple-I Initiative combines a short, host-free format with hands-on game selection, trailer guidance and an emphasis on outcomes beyond raw view counts. Its approach also creates connections that can lead to work beyond the event itself, such as Evil Empire’s live-ops partnership with Blobfish. For participating studios, the key is to treat a showcase as one part of a broader marketing plan and measure whether it reaches an audience likely to care about the game.
