Join the GoedWare Game Jam Cutscene Edition (72-hours) and bring your storytelling skills to the screen! Whether you’re experimenting with new techniques or refining your cinematic style, we’re excited to see your creations. Let’s learn, enjoy, and celebrate game development with a twist!

The GoedWare Game Jam Cutscene Edition has arrived! We're excited to explore a new challenge format, asking you to create a 30–60 second cutscene using any game engine of your choice. This time, it’s all about visual storytelling, real-time rendering, and creativity without traditional gameplay mechanics.

Ready to bring your cinematic vision to life? In this Special Edition, you’ll have a few days to produce a cutscene that captures a compelling story or mood within the given theme. Show us what you can do with camera work, lighting, sound design, and animation!

Share your progress and excitement on social media with the hashtag #GoedWareGameJam!

GoedWare: LinkedIn | Website | Discord 

Link to previous Jams #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 | ZERO UI | HALLOWEEN

The theme will be announced at the start of the jam.....

Rules & Requirements

Create a real-time rendered cutscene in any game engine (30-60 seconds) with minimal camera control, like panning or rotation, to showcase your storytelling and cinematic skills!

• Anyone, regardless of experience, is welcome to participate!
  
• An itch.io account to be able to join the jam and submit your entry.
• Real-Time Rendering: Your cutscene must be rendered in real time in a game engine (e.g., Unity, Unreal, Godot). No pre-rendered video submissions allowed.
• Format: Submit a game format (e.g., .exe for Windows) that plays the cutscene directly. Optionally, you may include a YouTube/Vimeo link for sharing.
• Duration: Your cutscene should be between 30 and 60 seconds.
• Camera Interaction for Verification Only: Include a minimal real-time camera control, such as limited panning or rotation using the mouse or arrow keys. This interaction is purely for confirming real-time rendering and does not need to be part of the cutscene’s main narrative or storytelling. It should be subtle and non-intrusive to the cinematic experience.
• The cutscene should be cinematic without interactive elements like dialog choices or player actions—focus purely on storytelling!
• Optional Start Menu: You may include a simple start or main menu with a start button to trigger the cutscene and an optional credits screen. However, no additional interactive elements should be included beyond starting the cinematic and displaying credits.
• Original Assets: You may use existing assets, but you must have proper licenses for any assets used.
• NSFW Restrictions: No NSFW content, including nudity or hate speech.
• Participants who try to manipulate voting will be removed.
  
• Teams: teams are allowed, but we recommend keeping the teams up to 4 members, after that it becomes hard to manage a team in 3 days for a cutscene. (Prizes are only for the whole team, not the individual members).
• You can not edit your submission after the deadline! So be wise and submit your game a few hours before the deadline to be able to tackle any last minute issues.
  

Submission & Judging Criteria

Your entries will be rated by your fellow creators in the following categories:

• Cinematography: Camera angles, framing, and movement for visual impact.
• Visuals & Art Direction: Quality and consistency of visuals, lighting, and art style.
• Audio & Sound Design: Effectiveness of sound effects and music in building atmosphere.
• Storytelling & Theme: How well does the cutscene communicate a story or mood? Does it align with the theme?
  

There will be a Judge/Jury Ranking where our panel will evaluate submissions based on personal preference and cinematic quality, balancing any unusual voting patterns to ensure fairness.

After the jam, a 5-day rating period lets participants view and rate each cutscene. Remember to leave constructive feedback—this is more helpful than just a number and helps others find your submission! 😊

Note: To be eligible for prizes, each cutscene needs at least 10 ratings. Watching and rating others’ entries will also increase the chance of yours being rated.

* We reserve the right to remove any entries with clear vote manipulation.
** Minimum rating requirements may be adjusted based on the number of participants.

Prizes

Yes, this Game Jam will also have prizes for the winners 😊. These prizes are made available by our sponsor and organizer GoedWare.

Let's start by saying that if you press that join button and upload a cutscene before the deadline, you are already a winner!  Having fun while creating and finishing your cutscene project is an achievement in itself!  That experience is more valuable than money, but we do have some real prizes for the winners also 😉.

We have a public vote with prizes and we also have a jury ranking.

#Overall winner

The overall winner will receive a $75 gift card!* + Eternal Glory of winning the Game Jam😁! 

#Runner-up 

The runner-up will get a $50 gift card.

#3rd place 

The 3rd place will get a $25 gift card.

#Jury Ranking Prizes

#1:  The winner will get a $100 gift card!!

#2:  The runner-up will get a $75 gift card.

#3:  Third place will get a $50 gift card.

NOTE:

• Participants will receive an Amazon gift card for the Amazon website that applies to their country. No other gift cards or prizes will be distributed or swapped.
• For the record for Brazilians and Indian. Unfortunately, no gift cards are possible for amazon.com.br & amazon.in and we will give out gift cards for amazon.com online shop.
• Jury ranking prizes will stack with the public prizes.

FAQ

What’s the theme?
It will be revealed when the jam starts!

What assets can I use?
Feel free to use any assets you have proper licensing for. Original assets are encouraged!

Can I submit an existing project?
No, all work must be created within the jam period.

Can I edit my submission after the deadline?
No, so make sure to submit early to avoid last-minute issues.

Question: Is there a Discord I can join? 
Answer: Yes, click here to join. There is also an FAQ channel there.

LEGAL

• Anything you make during the GoedWare Game Jam is your property. GoedWare claims no rights or ownership of your game. 
• Any game submitted to the GoedWare  Game Jam may show up in a GoedWare YouTube video, Social Media or website without your express permission.